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Whenever people come to see the Jewish ghetto in Rome, they are a bit underwhelmed at first. Besides the Synagogue and the many kosher restaurants, at first glance there does not seem to be a lot to see.
However, the ghetto is a very interesting area with a painful history. Once you know this history and the places associated with it, the area becomes much more alive. The roman Jewish community was one of the oldest in Europe and one of the last to gain its freedom. The story of the roman Jews is different from the other Jewish communities and not well known by the big public.
For a very long time, the Jewish community in Rome, which is older than the Christian community, lived in abject poverty in this area. They were forbidden to leave the ghetto at night and could only work in a very few professions. They had to wear distinctive clothing and had a lot less rights than the Christian Roman citizens.
This guidebook will tell you the complicated history of the Roman Jews and explain the life Jewish people had in the Ghetto. Also, many places of interest inside and outside the ghetto are described in detail.
Reading this book is a good preparation for a visit to the ghetto, but it can also be read if you have no direct plans of going to Rome. The history of the Jewish community in Rome is interesting enough to read about, without a trip to Rome.
