Walk Rome's Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere

Walk Rome's Jewish Ghetto & Trastevere Photo #1 of 2 Photo copyright ShoreTrips.com.

Overview

A small-group walking tour of Rome's Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere neighborhoods

This is not a traditional walking tour company. The people who lead these walks are specialists -- art historians, classicists, archaeologists, architects -- who possess a deep knowledge of the city. They lead the walks like professors lead seminar classes, with in-depth conversations about themes and topics related to Rome, using the city itself as a text book. Participants should be prepared for their itineraries to take a variety of different courses, depending on the guide, the tour group members, the season and conditions in the city on any given day. There are no scripts and no guidebook lists of facts.

This company is devoted to sustainable tourism, and a certain part of all their itineraries deals with ways that our participants can help preserve the cultural heritage of the cities where they operate.

This walk looks at two Roman neighborhoods that have traditionally been home to cultures outside of the power-wielding majority: the Jewish Ghetto and Trastevere.

Our walk covers the Ghetto itself and the history of the Jewish community in Rome (the oldest in Europe). When possible, we will visit Rome’s main synagogue and its museum. We also visit such notable sites within the Ghetto as Portico d'Ottavia, Piazza Mattei, and the kosher restaurants and Jewish-owned businesses that give this area its character today.

Then, we will cross to Tiber Island, which, according to some theories, may be where the first activity in the city of Rome took place. We will spend some time discussing the river and some of the noteworthy monuments in the vicinity, including the remains of the Ponte Rotto and the travertine "prow of Aeneas' ship" embedded in the island.

We then cross over into Trastevere, one of the most characteristic neighborhoods in Rome. Our course will take us past some important churches, including Santa Cecilia, which is built upon the ruins of an ancient (2nd century) Roman house, and Santa Maria in Trastevere, a titular church and one of the oldest Christian sites in the world.

If time allows, and interest among the group dictates, we may also visit S. Francesco a Ripa, where one of Bernini's most wonderful and least-visited statues rests.

This walk, though it takes on a different character depending on whether it’s led by an art or religions historian, always focuses on the idea of pluralism in Roman society and how minority, or outsider, groups like the early Christians and the Jews (throughout history) left their mark on the city.

In addition to landmarks and major monuments, we always spend quite a bit of time traversing back alleys and side streets in order to get a taste of this most exquisite and un-visited part of Rome.

- This is a shared, small group (2-6 people) walking tour. Unless there are 6 people in your group, you may be touring with other travelers. If you would prefer a private tour, call ShoreTrips at 888-355-0220 or 414-964-2100.
- Walks are held rain or shine with some variations to accommodate the weather.
- For several reasons, this tour may run a bit longer than planned, and we recommend that you not schedule another activity immediately after this one. This can occur because Rome, in certain seasons, sees large numbers of visitors. In addition, because this tour is tailored to the interests of those taking it, as well as the scholar guide, the itinerary is not always exactly the same.
- This tour does not include the synagogue admission fee of €10 per person, which must be paid at the time of your visit.
- Please keep in mind that the tour price is exclusive of entrance fees. This is not a typical tour, and often the guide will veer off course and take in additional relevant sites, as determined by the course the discussion takes. Because of this, we cannot determine, ahead of time, every cost that might be incurred on the tour.

- Minimum of 2, maximum of 6 people per tour.
- Minimum age is 12 years old.
- Dress comfortably for the weather.
- ShoreTrips and our partners do our best to insure that every stop described is available for your visit. There are some times when a site or building is closed at the last moment with little or no warning. We assume that those in charge make those decisions based on external information and for the visitors’ safety and we apologize when this causes inconvenience and disappointment.

Days offered: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday

Departures:

• 10:00 AM, duration: 3 hours Duration of tour is approximate.