Ghetto of Bologna
Guided tours are offered by the MEB (designed for both school groups and adult members of the public).
The former Jewish ghetto in Bologna was situated in the city centre. close to the university quarter.
From 1353 to 1506, Bologna attracted a growing Jewish community that settled in the city. The Jews worked in commerce, practised various crafts, worked as artists, etc. When Bologna passed under the rule of the Bentivoglio family, papal influence became very strong in the city.
In 1555, Pope Paul IV issued a bull stating that the Jews should be confined inside the ghetto. An area was found in Bologna, around which walls and gates were built. The ghetto period lasted 11 years. Then, in 1569, a new bull forced the Jews to leave every Italian city except for Rome and Ancona.
On the main ghetto street, at the address Via dell’Inferno, 16, a plaque has been mounted by the Jewish community in memory of the synagogue that stood there.
In Via Goito 16 is the unusual Palazzo Bocchi, that belonged to University Professor Achille Bocchi in the XVIth century. The palace has inscriptions engraved on either side of the portal: in Latin and Hebrew. They signify the meeting of the Latin and Jewish traditions and their strong influence on cultural life. The Hebrew inscription, where each letter is 32cm tall, is a unique throughout both Italy and Europe.
Many Jews pursued brilliant careers at the University of Bologna. In 1938, for example, Bologna boasted the largest faculty in Italy and the largest body of Jewish students from overseas.
In 1943, the deportations from Bologna to the Nazi concentration camps claimed numerous lives, and the synagogue was destroyed. Today, the synagogue is not situated in the ghetto area.
The Jewish Museum in Bologna was opened in 1999 at Via Valdonica, 1 and tells the history of the Jewish settlement in Bologna and the whole of the Emilia-Romagna region. The Jewish community in Bologna today is one of four active Jewish communities in the region and the one with the largest membership.
Ghetto of Bologna
In 1555 Pope Paul IV ordered that ghettos be established in all the territories of the Papal State. Guided tours are offered by the MEB (designed for both school groups and adult members of the public). The former Jewish ghetto in Bologna was situated in the city centre. close to the university quarter. From 1353 to 1506, Bologna attracted a growing Jewish community that settled in the city. The Jews worked in commerce, practised various crafts, worked as artists, etc. When Bologna passed under the rule of the Bentivoglio family, papal influence became very strong in the city. In 1555, Pope Paul IV issued a bull stating that the Jews should be confined inside the ghetto. An area was found in Bologna, around which walls and gates were built. The ghetto period lasted 11 years. Then, in 1569, a new bull forced the Jews to leave every Italian city except for Rome and Ancona. On the main ghetto street, at the address Via dell’Inferno, 16, a plaque has been mounted by the Jewish community in memory of the synagogue that stood there. In Via Goito 16 is the unusual Palazzo Bocchi, that belonged to University Professor Achille Bocchi in the XVIth century. The palace has inscriptions engraved on either side of the portal: in Latin and Hebrew. They signify the meeting of the Latin and Jewish traditions and their strong influence on cultural life. The Hebrew inscription, where each letter is 32cm tall, is a unique throughout both Italy and Europe. Many Jews pursued brilliant careers at the University of Bologna. In 1938, for example, Bologna boasted the largest faculty in Italy and the largest body of Jewish students from overseas. In 1943, the deportations from Bologna to the Nazi concentration camps claimed numerous lives, and the synagogue was destroyed. Today, the synagogue is not situated in the ghetto area. The Jewish Museum in Bologna was opened in 1999 at Via Valdonica, 1 and tells the history of the Jewish settlement in Bologna and the whole of the Emilia-Romagna region. The Jewish community in Bologna today is one of four active Jewish communities in the region and the one with the largest membership.
Submitted by LR · Aug 24, 2025