Giudecca, in the area of Ortygia, is the district of Syracuse where the Jewish community once lived. Today you can walk along the alleys of Giudecca and imagine past scenes of everyday Jewish life. In the Middle Ages the streets of the district had different names: the district "del pozzo che sbru...

In ancient Giudecca, the earth element is held within its very streets. As you tread the "earth" and walk through the narrow alleys of this district, you can discover its secrets and learn about its stories from the past. These are stories about its ancient inhabitants: the Jews, who were mainly a...

The water element in Giudecca takes on the role of purification. In all districts inhabited by Jews there are pools of pure water in which people immerse themselves to perform purification rites. These places are called [approfondimenti id="3627" testo_link="mikveh"]. Casa Bianca was the mikveh of...

At Giudecca the air element is linked to a spectacular open-air church, which was once the Jewish quarter's synagogue: the basilica of San Giovanni Battista (St. John the Baptist). The basilica, also known as the church of San Giovannello, is located in Piazza del Precursore. The synagogue's origi...

In a place like Giudecca, the fire element can only be associated with cooking the food that was consumed in Jewish houses and with its meaning. The oven was a very important element for Jews and always found in a synagogue. It was built of stone, had a cylindrical shape and was small in size. The ...