Originally a foundry area (ghetto), this island was gated up to create the Jewish quarter from 1516 CE until Napoleon’s overthrowing of the Venetian Republic. Allowed out during the day, Jewish people were locked away each evening and on holidays. Despite this, Jewish communities from around Europe continued to move here, and so had to build upwards to accommodate the additional people. This can be seen by the fact that the synagogues that were built here were quite ethnically distinct: Italian (Scuola Italiana), Spanish (Scuola Spagnola), German (Scuola Grande Tedesca), Levantine Sephardi community (Scola Levantina), and the Scuola Canton for the Ashkenazic Jews.

Although they were finally recognised as Venetian citizens under Napoleon, the local Jewish population was decimated by Mussolini’s Fascist government. Sadly, most of the thousands that lived here met their fate in concentration camps during World War II. Today there are around 450 Jewish people living in Venice, spread out across the city.

Check out the Museo Ebraico di Venezia (Jewish Museum of Venice) to learn about the history of the Jewish citizens of Venice.