Why go
Visit for historical context before walking the lanes around Via Valdonica, Via del Carro and Via de’ Giudei. The surrounding area makes episodes of restriction, expulsion and return easier to place than a museum visit alone. The walk gives those histories a clear city setting.
What to look for
- Palazzo Pannolini stands by the former Jewish quarter.
- The old ghetto area lies around Via del Carro, Via Zamboni and Via de’ Giudei.
- The story extends into the university’s anti-Jewish expulsions in 1938.
The full story
Jewish life in Bologna reaches back to at least the fourteenth century. In 1556 papal rules confined the community to a ghetto; its gates were closed between sunset and sunrise. Expulsions followed, with a brief return in the late sixteenth century before many families left again for places including Ferrara. Jews returned to Bologna in the nineteenth century. The city was also the setting of the 1858 seizure of Edgardo Mortara from his Jewish parents. Under the anti-Jewish laws of 1938, professors and foreign students were removed from the University of Bologna; persecution intensified during the German occupation. Palazzo Pannolini, associated with the museum, has a history of its own: a merchant’s bequest led to a college for poor children in the seventeenth century. The museum and the nearby streets together let visitors connect the community’s history to a specific part of the city, rather than viewing it as an abstract chronology.
Useful to know
- Confirm the museum’s current location and opening arrangements before setting out.
- Pair the museum with a walk through the nearby former ghetto streets.