Jewish Museum, Sinagogue and Ghetto - Pitigliano - La regione dei Tufi

Address

Vicolo Manin - Pitigliano

Museum

In the sixteenth century Pitigliano belonged to the small county ruled by the Orsini Counts, between the Grand Duchy of Tuscany and the Papal States. In 1556 Niccolò IV Orsini, who was favorable to the presence of Jews within his territory, gave to his personal physician, David de Pomis, land on which to establish a Jewish cemetery. In 1598, the synagogue was built. In 1608, the County of Pitigliano became part of the Grand Duchy of Tuscany, and in 1622, the Medici established the Ghetto. In the nineteenth century, the Jewish Community had became a fifth to a quarter of the population, leading the Community of Livorno to give it the nickname of “The Little Jerusalem”. With the unification of Italy, in 1861, many emancipated Jews left Pitigliano to reach Livorno, Rome, Florence , etc. In 1938, the Jewish Community was down to about 70 people and because of racial laws further diminished. During the persecution of the Second World War, about 30 Jews who remained in Pitigliano were helped and saved by Catholic families who hid and protected them in the countryside. With the collapse of the Synagogue in the 60s, hope to revive the Jewish Community was lost and today, unfortunately, few remain.