ROME – New immersive journey explores centuries of Ghetto’s history at the Jewish Museum

A new immersive experience at the Jewish Museum of Rome takes visitors back to the time of the Ghetto (1555–1870), with its distinctive architecture and history. This period is recreated with visors and 3D technology, bringing to life an area that is now a place of life and gathering, but which, as Victor Fadlun, the president of Rome’s Jewish Community, noted, “had been an open-air prison for three centuries.” The itinerary unfolds in five stages, allowing visitors to walk through the alleys of the Ghetto while enjoying multisensory experiences and viewing buildings that no longer stand. Among them was the “Five Scole” building, where Roman Jews once worshipped in five synagogues. Today, only its name survives in toponymy.

The project was ideated and realized by the Jewish Museum of Rome Foundation with the technological support of Sagitek, which curated the immersive experience. The Department of Cultural Activities of the Jewish Community, the Roman Center of Jewish Studies, the University of Rome Tor Vergata, and the Jewish Community of Turin also contributed. “This is a fundamental tool for the museum,” said Lia Toaff, the coordinator and manager of the museum’s educational projects. “The immersive visors give visitors the opportunity to be the protagonists of their own visit,” she added. Claudio Procaccia, director of the Community’s Cultural Department, agrees. “This is a way to make visits to the museum even more enjoyable and meaningful.” According to Procaccia, interest in Jewish culture has grown exponentially, and the October 7 attacks did not stop this process. We are seeing this growth on various levels: didactic, research, and tourism.”

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Translated by Chiara Tona and revised by Alessia Tivan, students at the Advanced School for Interpreters and Translators of the University of Trieste, trainees in the newsroom of the Union of the Italian Jewish Communities — Pagine Ebraiche.