Guided Tours in Jewish Lecce

Tour Description
A guided tour of the ancient Jewish quarter in Lecce, which hosted a thriving Jewish community from the Middle Ages until the early modern era.

The earliest confirmed evidence of Jewish presence in the city dates back to 1359, when a law imposed a tax on meat consumption for all citizens, both Christians and Jews. This peaceful coexistence, however, turned violent toward the end of the 15th century, leading to anti-Jewish riots and, in 1541, the expulsion of all Jews from the Kingdom of Naples by edict of Charles V. From that time on, the city undertook a complete damnatio memoriae, erasing all material traces of the Jewish community, including the site where the Basilica of Santa Croce was later built.

The Memory Itinerary shares the story of Lecce’s Jewish community, which naturally gathered in a neighborhood known as the medieval Giudecca, located near the Merchants’ Square—now Piazza Sant’Oronzo—and the demolished Porta San Martino. This area was once home to the Synagogue, Jewish residences, and workshops for crafts such as tanning and dyeing.

The Jewish Museum is located within a palace built on the ruins of the destroyed synagogue.

WHAT WE WILL VISIT

- Merchants’ Square (now Piazza Sant’Oronzo)
- Giudecca of Lecce
- Via della Sinagoga
- Via della Saponea
- Via Abramo Balmes
- Palazzo Adorno
- Jewish Museum

INFO
Optional entrance to the Jewish Museum.  
Skip the line by booking your guided tour with us.

MEETING POINT WITH THE GUIDE
Piazza Sant’Oronzo, Lecce

DURATION
2 hours

INFORMATION AND BOOKINGS
Call +39 3926513063
info@bestguidedtours.com  
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