Shakespeare's Venice was imagined, but the heartbeat was real. Skaspeare never visited Venice-yet its stories shaped The Merchant of Venice, and the unforgettable Shylock. His words- Hath not a Jew eyes? - If you prick us, do not we bleed? still echo through those streets, Here in the world first Jewish Ghetto, we explore the real lives that inspired myth and stage alike-tales of faith, struggle, and resilience that made Venice both a setting and a symbol, Ioin a guided walk through Vneice Jewish Quarter to meet real people places and books behind that line, from synagouge to historic printing presses and first printed Talmud.
History is not just a stone and mortar; it is people, their struggles, their courage, and sometimes a story that lives forever on stage. Venice gave the world Shakespeare's Venice, but the real one, right here, gave us the spirit behind his words.
The Venetian Ghetto was the area of Venice in which Jews were forced to live by the government of the Venetian Republic. The English word ghetto is derived from the Jewish ghetto in Venice. The Venetian Ghetto was instituted on 29 March 1516 by decree of Doge Leonardo Loredan and the Venetian Senate. It was not the first time that Jews in Venice were compelled to live in a segregated area of the city. In 1555, Venice had 160,208 inhabitants, including 923 Jews, who were mainly merchants.
Between 1541 and 1633, the Ghetto Vecchio and Ghetto Nuovo were made to accommodate the increase in Jewish immigration, but the total number of Jews in Italy did not exceed 25,000.
With your private guide, you have a 2 -hour 30 minutes tour to explore the oldest Venetian ghetto in Europe and listen to the stories and events of long history of Jews in Venice, the tour includes the Spanish Synagogue and the secret garden, photo stops, and walking around the quarter to explore how Jews were and still living in Venice
