The synagogue in Pitigliano
Signs of this long cohabitation can be found in the Jewish ghetto. It’s an evocative journey into the historic centre of Pitigliano, through rooms carved from tufa rock, testimonies of the life of the Jewish community. They include the Azzime Bakery, where sweets and unleavened bread were prepared, and the Milkve Bath, which sits under the synagogue and was a special tufa-rock tub, where the young took ritual baths, an act of purification in the Jewish culture. There’s alsothe cellar, where the kosher wine was kept and the Kascher Butcher, entirely dug underground in the tufa rock and where meat was once slaughtered according to Jewish tradition.
The Museum of Jewish Culture was created to better preserve this ancient heritage and includes stories and objects from the community. It is the starting point for visits to the Synagogue and the entire museum complex.
While few Jews live in Pitigliano today, a strong bond remains between them and the city, exemplified in everything from the restoration and conservation of its Jewish monuments to the decision to make kosher wine at Pitigliano’s Cooperative Cellar to the foundation of the "La Piccola Gerusalemme" Association, which promotes initiatives for the enhancement of Pitigliano’s Jewish history.
Info: lapiccolagerusalemme.it
