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The Jewish Heritage Tour of Italy

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Venice

Venice

Gondola

Gondola

Bologna

Bologna

Ghetto

Ghetto

Florence

Florence

Tomotoes

Tomotoes

Rome

Rome

Cities: Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome

Length of Tour: 11 days

Accommodations: Venice, Bologna, Florence and Rome

Day 1

Venice

Arrival at Venice Marco Polo Airport. Transfer by private taxi boat with English speaking assistance and transfer to your Hotel. Time to relax and to start discovering the town on your own. Welcome dinner and overnight stay.

Day 2

Venice (Jewish Ghetto)

Breakfast and meeting with your guide who will introduce you to this enchanting town with a 2 hour walking tour of the classical sites of Venice: St. Mark Cathedral, the Grand Canal, the Bridge of Sighs and the Rialto. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon with your guide, visit of the “Ghetto.” Dinner at the Gam Gam Kosher restaurant and overnight stay.

Day 3

Venice, Ferrara, and Bologna

Breakfast and departure for Ferrara. Meeting with your guide and walking tour of this beautiful art town and its’ Castle, before visiting the Ghetto. Time on your own for lunch and departure for Bologna in the afternoon. Accomodation in Hotel and overnight stay.

Day 4

Bologna and Soragna

Breakfast at the Hotel. Bologna holds sway as Europe’s premier university town, an honor gained with Jewish involvement. Take a Guided Tour along the Jewish path of Bologna. Lunch on your own. In the afternoon depart for Soragna, small town in the Po Valley, not far from Parma, to visit its Museum and Synagogue, of which the aron hakodesh is now displayed the Knesset in Jerulasem. Back to Bologna in the late afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay.

Day 5

Florence

Breakfast, check out and departure for Tuscany. On the way stop in Carpi, not far from Modena, and visit to the concentration camp in Fossoli, where the Italian Jews were massed in preparation for deportation to Auschwitz. Arrival in Florence and check in to Hotel. Ian afternoon guided walking tour of this gorgeous art city. Dinner in a local restaurant and overnight stay.

Day 6

Florence

Visit the Uffizi Gallery and the Accademia to view countless Italian masterpieces including Michelangelo’s David. Lunch on your own and leisure time. Possibility to have an optional guided artisan tour of Florence. Dinner in a Kosher restaurant and overnight stay.

Day 7

Pisa and Florence

Breakfast at the Hotel and departure for Pisa. After the visit to Piazza dei Miracoli, with the Leaning Tower, you will discover the Jewish heritage of this beautiful town with the Synagogue and the Jewish Cemetery. Lunch on your own. A special attention must be reserved to the town of Livorno, knows as the "city without a ghetto". In 17th century it became the symbol of freedom, as "Jewish, Turkish and Moorish" merchants had the right to freely settle there with freedom in religion and commerce. Back to your Hotel and overnight stay.

Day 8

Chianti and Siena

Full day excursion to Siena and to the Chianti area. This beautiful town in the green hills of central Tuscany has been for centuries one of the first enemies of Florence. After a guided visit of the centre with its impressive Piazza del Campo and the Gothic Cathedral, you will have some time for shopping. Lunch in a nice central “trattoria.” In the afternoon departure for Florence through the Chiantigiana Road, and stop in some of the most picturesque villages such as Radda in Chianti and Greve, with the possibility to have a wine tasting in a local castle. Overnight stay.

Day 9

Southern Tuscany and Rome

Breakfast and departure fro Rome driving along the Via Aurelia (the coast road). A must see is Pitigliano, known as the “little Jerusalem”. This town is nestled in the hills of Southern Tuscany (Maremma area) and became refuge for Jews of Rome after the persecutions in the XVI cent. Time on your own for lunch. Afternoon departure for Rome. Check in at your Hotel and overnight stay.

Day 10

Rome

Panoramic tour of the most important sites in Rome, with an emphasis on Jewish History. The tour will include the Coliseum, the Forum, and the Arch of Titus which was built to commemorate Rome’s triumph over Jerusalem in 70 c.e. The visit will continue with the heart of Renaissance Rome: Via del Corso, Fontana di Trevi, Piazza Navona, and the Pantheon. Lunch on your own and we recommend a traditional dinner in Trastevere.

Day 11

Rome's Jewish Ghetto

Breakfast at the Hotel. The day will be devoted to the Jewish history of Rome. You will pass through the streets of the Jewish ghetto, and discover Jewish traces hidden in the historical monuments of the city. Visit of the Main Synagogue and its important Museum. Coninue to Isola Tiberina and Trastevere, where the very first Jews settled. Time on your own for lunch. Farewell dinner in a special restaurant in the Ghetto.>