Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina
Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina features on the Gingerguide audio walk through Rome. Give it roughly ~60 min: enough to look, hear a two to three minute story on the spot, and ask the AI guide whatever the story leaves open.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~60 min
- Rome Rome guide
About Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina
Rome's oldest continuously inhabited neighbourhood, Jewish since the 2nd century BC, next to the ruins where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 BC.
Rome's Jewish Ghetto is the oldest continuously inhabited Jewish neighbourhood in the world, with a continuous Jewish presence in Rome since the second century BC, well before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The formal Ghetto was established in 1555 by Pope Paul IV, confining Rome's Jews to a small area enclosed by walls with locked gates, which existed until Italian unification in 1870.
The heart of the neighbourhood today is the Portico of Octavia, an ancient gateway built in 27 BC by Augustus and dedicated to his sister, whose columns still stand embedded in later medieval structures. The Great Synagogue of Rome (1904), built after the Ghetto was abolished, dominates the riverfront.
Just steps away is Largo di Torre Argentina, a sunken archaeological site housing four Republican-era temples (dating from the 4th–2nd centuries BC) and the remains of Pompey's Theatre. In the portico of Pompey's Theatre, on the Ides of March 44 BC, Julius Caesar was stabbed 23 times. The site is now also home to a famous cat sanctuary.
Did you know? Rome's Jewish community has existed for over 2,100 years, Jews were present in Rome before most modern European nations, languages, or cities existed.
How long is a visit to Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina?
Set aside roughly ~60 min for Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina. That covers a good look and the narrated story, and because you set the pace you can always stay on.
Is Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina worth your time?
Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina is among the 47 narrated highlights the Gingerguide team chose for Rome, so it is worth a look. Hear the story for the context, then ask the AI guide for anything more.
Nearby stops in Rome
Hear the story of Jewish Ghetto & Largo Argentina
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