The ancient Jewish Ghetto and the district of Cannaregio: Venice’s Cosmopolitan Communities

Cannaregio is one of Venice’s most fascinating districts. Characterised by its long, wide canals, sun-baked side-walks and hidden gardens, Cannaregio is still home to lively neighbourhoods. Here your local guide will uncover hidden artistic treasures and reveal lesser-known architectural gems, such as the Madonna dell’Orto.

On your walking tour, you will discover how Venice, as an emporium of international trade, became extraordinarily cosmopolitan and home to peoples hailing from near and far.

In particular you will visit the area where the Jewish community lived for centuries. In 1516, on an islet formerly occupied by iron-foundries, the first Jewish Ghetto was established. Venice’s Ghetto would become home to Jewish settlers from elsewhere in Italy, from Germany, the Iberian peninsula and the Ottoman Empire. It became a city within the city, with synagogues, shops and pawn-brokers’ premises.

Memorials in the Ghetto commemorate how, in more recent times, the Shoah devastated Venice’s Jewish community.