Ferrara is a city where stones talk. They tell stories of dukes and merchants, artists and warlords. But some of those stones tell a different story, silenced for long, but still very deep: the story of the Ferrara Jewish community, one of the oldest and liveliest in Italy.
This walking tour takes the visitor across a path of reflection and discovery, through historical memory, culture and spirituality.
It starts at the ancient Jewish cemetery, close to Ferrara’s city walls. A silent, collected place that hosts burials of many different eras and the funeral monument of writer Giorgio Bassani.
From the walls you will access the historical city centre through the medieval streets of the ancient ghetto, where the synagogues and the touching Stolpersteine are located: these small, golden plaques are dedicated to the Jews that were taken from Ferrara to extermination camps.
The tour stops again at the Borso d’Este Column, in Piazza della Cattedrale, symbol of ducal strength.
Finally, the MEIS, National Museum of Italian Judaism and the Shoah, opens its gaze to the history and culture of Italian Jews.
This tour is not only a cultural walk, but it is an invitation to rediscover Ferrara through a different point of view, that sees the memory’s value and the respect of diversity as its centre. It is perfect for everyone: history enthusiasts, families, school groups, tourists.
In just a few hours and kilometers you will go through centuries of life and a culture that managed to adapt and survive. Silent echoes that become a voice for those who can listen.
This tour is accessible to everyone and it is 2,5 kilometers long, all across the heart of the city.
Our tour starts at the Jewish cemetery in via delle Vigne, a silent and meaningful place that houses the tombs of many generations of the Ferrara Jewish community.
Walking among the tombstones you will feel the bond between memory and space: entire families have lived and been through centuries of history, leaving their mark here.
The Jewish community, as it was spreading throughout the centuries, felt the need to find a place to bury its loved ones: the cemetery was officially built in 1588, while the monumental portal was made in 1911 by Ciro Contini. Today there are more than 1400 tombstones and most of them are barely peaking out from the ground.
Giorgio Bassani: the voice of Jewish Memory
Among the most emblematic people buried here there is Giorgio Bassani one of the most well known Italian authors of the 20h Century. In the novel The Garden of the Finzi-Continis, Bassani told the story of a Jewish family from the community of Ferrara during World War II, whose tragic destiny was marked by the racial laws and persecution.
Curiosities
The cemetery is divided into five areas, each one with burials from different eras. The most peculiar and evocative is a wide grass clearing that was used in the 18th Century. In the whole cemetery there are 100 tombstones with Hebrew inscriptions, next to inscriptions in Italian or bilingual, a demonstration of the ancient and embedded history of this community.
Tips
Passing through Via Montebello and Via Terranuova, the tour moves on to Via Mazzini, one of the main streets of the ancient Jewish ghetto.
The ghetto was founded in 1627 and abolished in 1859. It was once closed by portals at dusk and it still holds a strong historical identity. At house number 95, on the right, there is the access to the Synagogues of Ferrara, signaled by two marble slabs.
In front of houses number 14, 85 and 88 in Via Mazzini there are the so-called Stolpersteine: small brass plaques set in the cobblestones, a reminder of the victims of deportation. Each plaque carries a name, date of birth, place of capture and death and it is placed in front of the home of a person that was taken away. The Stolpersteine allow whoever sees them to stop for a minute, think and remember: a touching moment where present and past blend together and the memory becomes tangible.
There are 15 Stolpersteine in total in Via Mazzini, dedicated to entire families. It is a brief but powerful stretch, where the tour meets the local Shoah history.
Curiosities
Not everyone knows that inside the buildings of the ghetto there were secret passages, stairs linked together and hidden hallways. This allowed the residents to move freely without leaving their homes.
The tour keeps going through the heart of Ferrara’s ancient Jewish ghetto, where many of its recognizable historical traits are still preserved.
From Via Mazzini, the main road of the ghetto, two other roads branch off: Via Vignatagliata and Via della Vittoria, where the houses of the Jews are still located today surrounded by a silent, intimate atmosphere.
A small area of the ghetto is dedicated to an important figure of Ferrara’s jewish culture: Isacco Lampronti.
He was a doctor and rabbi who lived in the 18th Century. He was considered a hero because he dedicated his life to helping the community and he even wrote an encyclopedia about rabbi matters, which is still consulted internationally today.
Diffused Memory
● In Via Vignatagliata number 33, a plaque remembers Lampronti’s house.
● At number 79 there was once the Jewish school, where Jewish students and teachers went after the racial laws of 1938. Giorgio Bassani himself was a teacher here.
● In Via della Vittoria number 41 there used to be the Spanish rite synagogue, destroyed in 1944 by the fascists.
To taste
After the walk, it’s time for a tasty break. You can try something from the Jewish cuisine, prepared in some restaurants in Ferrara. Otherwise you might want to try something traditionally from Ferrara, such as cappellacci di zucca, ricciole, pasticcio ferrarese, pampepato or a flavorful gelato: something good for every palate!
Not far from the streets of the ghetto you will come across Piazza Trento e Trieste, one of the widest and most central spaces in Ferrara. Right in front of the Cathedral’s main facade, on the left side of Palazzo Ducale’s arch (known as Volto del cavallo), a pink and white marble column stands out, on top of which is located the statue of Borso d’Este, the first Duke of Ferrara.
Curiosities
After a fire occurred in the 18th Century, the Column was restored using white marble. But the material came from a desecrated place: the Jewish cemetery.
The Papal State decided that the marble was to be taken from there, ignoring the sacred value of the burial sites.
After another restoration in 1960, the Column was disassembled and the ancient tombstones with inscriptions in Hebrew were found again; they are now part of the monument.
This story is proof of the fragility of Memory and the importance of giving dignity back to places and people.
Walking along Corso Porta Reno and turning right in Via delle Volte, you will access an area filled with history and charm.
Not far from here is Via Centoversuri, where the first Jews who arrived in Ferrara took residence in the 13th Century.
The tour ends at MEIS - National Museum of Italian Judaism and Shoah inaugurated in 2017 in the building of the former city prisons, officially closed in 1992.
Many anti-fascist and Jewish opponents were locked up in those cells, such as Giorgio Bassani. Today it is a place of memory, dialogue and culture: a journey through the history of the Jewish existence in Italy, from the Roman diaspora to the present days.
The rooms of the museum host archeological finds, documents, immersive and interactive installations that explain in detail the 200-year-long evolution of the Jewish community in Italy. The museum also organizes Hebrew courses, lectures, workshops for schools, guided tours and many events throughout the whole year.
Not to miss
Tips
The museum, which has a well-stocked bookshop, also organises Hebrew courses, lectures, workshops for schools, guided tours and numerous events throughout the year, including the Jewish Book Festival.
A final stage that invites active reflection on the value of memory and Italian cultural identity in its pluralism.
