Nestled between the provinces of Brescia and Bergamo in Lombardy, Lake Iseo is an exceptional travel destination. Unlike many better-known Italian resorts, it has retained a distinctly human scale and has so far escaped the worst effects of overtourism.
As you leave the lakeside promenade and enter the town through narrow streets with evocative, almost folkloric names—such as Vicolo Malinconia (Melancholy Lane), Vicolo Scodelle (Bowls Lane), and Vicolo Ombra (Shadow Lane)—you will come across a small archway bearing an unexpected name: Passaggio del Ghetto, or “Ghetto Passage.”
For someone like me, who is always searching for traces of my origins, this discovery is striking. A nearby plaque recounts the history of Iseo’s Jewish community, listing names, dates, and details about Jewish life in the town.
Notably, the plaque states that the community, whose members were primarily of Lazian origin, was founded around 1430 and remained active until 1572, extending from Lake Iseo to Lake Garda. Later, Jews arriving from Germany joined the community. Their activities centered largely on trade with the surrounding lakeside towns and Brescia. The Mincio, Mella, and Oglio rivers were important waterways for transporting iron, manufactured goods, weapons, hides, and textiles.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, Iseo and Salò were home to the most significant Jewish communities in the Brescia area. Their presence contributed significantly to the development of commerce and increased the importance of the local port.
However, in 1572, the Jews of Iseo were among those affected by the expulsion of Jews from Brescia. In 1637, a tombstone bearing a Hebrew inscription was discovered. Now preserved at the Roman Museum in Brescia, the stone suggests the existence of a Jewish cemetery in the area. The most unusual feature is the depiction of two fish caught in a fisherman’s net carved into the stone’s head, which may reference the nearby lake. Fish also appear in the iconography of the book Meshal ha-Kadmoni.
Further along is another plaque that commemorates the once-thriving Jewish presence and keeps the memory of the Holocaust alive.