Italy

“To laugh or cry is the most beautiful thing in the world” (Roberto Benigni, Life is Beautiful)​

The land of food and art​

Highlighted City: Rome 

Italian Jewish heritage has been crafted for over 2,000 years. Italkim, the Jewish-Italian characteristic unique to the region can either serve as a connection to ones’ ancestors or the first exposure to a new flavor of Jewish traditions. This liturgy has been persevered in these modern communities throughout Italy. In Rome visit the Great Synagogue, take a walk and dine in the Nuovo Ghetto and explore the Museo Ebraico di Roma and the Jewish Museum of Rome to encounter the remarkable history of the Italian Jewish people. World famous cultural and architectural land marks across the country are not to be missed, the Coliseum, the Vatican, the Tower of Pisa, The Great Synagogue of Florence, the statue of David, the five synagogues and Jewish Quarter of Venice. With so much to see, it goes without saying the food alone is worth the trip!

Day 1

Land in Rome - Leonardo da Vinci – Fiumicino Airport Arrive to the Great Synagogue, built in 1904, and the Museum of Jewish Heritage housed inside it. Tour the Jewish Ghetto, established by Pope Paul IV in 1555. Rome's Jews were stripped of their rights and forced to live in the walled-in, overcrowded area. The medieval streets wind their way towards the square from which Jews were deported during the Holocaust.
Overnight -  Rome

Day 2

The Roman Empire and the Jewish People: Introduction by your tour educator.
Embark on a tour to some of Rome's most beautiful structures, including the Spanish Steps, Europe's longest and widest staircase, the Trevi Fountain, the largest baroque fountain in the city, Piazza Navona (Navona Square) and more.
Tour ancient Rome, including the Coliseum, the Roman Forum and other monuments that recall Rome's great historic past. View the Arch of Titus, perhaps the best-known symbol of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E.
Overnight - Rome

Day 3

Michelangelo and the Jews: Introduction by your tour educator.
Enjoy a special visit to the Vatican Museum and view some of the seldom-revealed Jewish historic relics preserved there.
Continue to the Sistine Chapel, followed by a visit to St. Peter's Basilica, built in the late Renaissance. Depart for Pitigiliano, once known as “La Piccola Gerusalemme” - Little Jerusalem - because of its once-thriving Jewish community. Though the community is no longer, one can still walk through the restored synagogue, mikveh and kosher butchery, and 

 even enjoy a glass of kosher wine. Continue north towards Florence and check into the hotel.
Free time to explore the streets of Florence at night. Overnight -  Florence

Day 4

The Jews of Tuscany: Introduction by your tour educator.
Begin the tour of Florence with a close look at the Jewish world once centered here. The stories that emanate from the late 14th-century ghetto and the Moorish-style synagogue built in 1882 will be enhanced by a visit to the Museo Ebraica (Jewish Museum).
Visit the Uffizi Gallery, one of the oldest and most famous art museums in Europe.
Walk to the Duomo, celebrated for its magnificent dome designed by Brunelleschi, and view the Baptistery's renowned "Gates of Paradise" by Ghiberti.
Continue with an exploration of the open-air 
art museum of Piazza della Signoria, ending at 
the Ponte Vecchio, or the "Old Bridge.”
Drive to Venice 
Walk through the alleys, bridges and canals and experience the compelling beauty of this unique city. Ride a gondola through the canals of Venice.
Overnight -  Venice

Day 5

2,000 Years of Italian Jewry: Introduction by your tour educator.
Visit the Island of Murano to tour one of its many glass-making workshops.

Sail to the colorful Island of Burano, noted for its lacework and colorfully painted houses. Unchanged Legacy: Tour the Jewish Ghetto,
the home and center of Venetian Jewish life, 
1515-1848. Visit the Great Synagogue and Jewish Heritage Museum in the Nuovo Ghetto.
Return to the hotel to prepare for Shabbat Kabbalat Shabbat together with Venetian Jewish Community
Overnight -  Venice

Day 6

Join local community for tefilla and kiddush Walking tour
Group Lunch
Afternoon optional walking tour to view the Basilica of San Marco overlooks one of the most beautiful squares in the world, a real marble salon, the city center for centuries. Next to both the Basilica and the Doge's Palace, all the most important religious and civil ceremonies have always been held there and now the Piazza San Marco is considered the city's main symbol and tourist attraction.
This great square overlooking the water is a mixture of spaces, volumes and styles: the Procurator's residence, the bell tower, the Doge's Palace and the Sansoviniana Bookshop.
Evening on own to explore, shop or relax
Overnight -  Venice

Day 7

Transfer to Marco Polo International Airport for return flight