Museum of Jewish Culture in Pitigliano
A journey to the Little Jerusalem of the Maremma
The presence of a Jewish community in Pitigliano is documented since the 15th century. They resided in the southern part of the town: in today’s Via Zuccarelli, where the Ghetto was located in 1622 and where also the Synagogue, shops and artisan workshops were located.
In the 19th century, the community became so large that the village earned the nickname "Little Jerusalem", however, following the Unification of Italy, many families left these places for other Italian cities.
Today in the Little Jerusalem of the Maremma is possible to visit the Museum of Jewish Culture, housed in a building that was the first place of worship and research of the Jewish community. Above the museum, the existing Synagogue was built in 1598, then damaged by a partial collapse of the tuff cliff in the 1960s. It was restored in 1995, and is currently open to public.
The art gallery houses several objects used in Jewish worship and is the entry point for visiting the temple and for the tour of Pitigliano's historic ghetto, with the ritual bath, the wine cellar and kosher butcher, the oven for baking matzah and the dye-works.
