BOOKS – Discovering Jewish Italy, from Trieste to Syracuse

A new guidebook, Viaggio nell’Italia ebraica. Le meraviglie di una cultura millenaria (A Journey Through Jewish Italy: the Wonders of a Millenary Culture), is set to hit bookstores soon. Curated by the Touring Club Italiano in collaboration with the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy (FBCEI), it takes readers on a journey through ten cities: Turin, Venice, Trieste, Bologna, Ferrara, Florence, Rome, Trani, Bova Marina, and Syracuse. Each stop is accompanied by historical notes, curiosities, legends, and numerous images.
As recently announced by Pagine Ebraiche, the guide will be previewed in Turin on the European Day of Jewish Culture, for which Turin is the lead city, on Sunday, September 15. From there, it will begin its own journey, telling the story of the fascinating Venice Ghetto, the Jewish history of the Mole Antonelliana, an iconic symbol of Turin, the rediscovered traces in Southern Italy from which Jews were expelled between the late 15th and early 16th centuries, and much more.
“The proposal from the Touring Club Italiano is perfectly in line with the FBCEI’s institutional goals, and it received enthusiastic support and collaboration,” emphasized the foundation’s president Dario Disegni. Since its founding in 1986 by the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities, he explained, the Foundation for Jewish Cultural Heritage in Italy mission has focused on preserving and enhancing “the vast artistic and cultural heritage of Jewish Italy, which is an integral part of Italian history and culture.” This heritage is distributed throughout the country, as detailed by the portal of Italian Jewish itineraries, visitjewishitaly.it, launched by the foundation in 2015, and as illustrated by the forthcoming publication, created under the supervision of Annie Sacerdoti and Baruch Lampronti. “It was challenging to make a selection,” said the authors and curators of the guide. “The locations included are not necessarily the most significant in Jewish Italy, but they are among the most frequently visited by tourists and are well-equipped to accommodate them.”

Photo: the synagogue in Turin