Biblioteca Archivio "Renato Maestro" ("Renato Maestro" Library), Venice

Biblioteca Archivio "Renato Maestro" ("Renato Maestro" Library), Venice

Originally opened in 1981 within Venice's historic Jewish ghetto, the "Renato Maestro" library underwent a relocation in 1991 to a modern facility near the Venice Jewish museum, thanks to the financial support of the Veneto region. The library's primary objective is to preserve and promote the written and archival heritage of the Jewish community in Venice, as envisioned by the late Renato Maestro. It currently houses nearly 600 archival files, along with an extensive collection of books encompassing various subjects such as history, religion, fiction, periodicals, ancient texts, and a video library.

The Jewish archives preserved within the Renato Maestro Library Archive are of particular significance. These archives contain documents dating back to 1589 and encompass a wide range of materials, including regulatory documents of the Community up to 1949, records of the Board of Directors and the Presidency, Civil and State Registry entries, Catechumens and abjurations records, as well as documentation on discrimination, persecutions, and deportations. The archive has been recently reorganized, and a printed inventory is available. The documentation from 1815 to the present era, stored in the archival warehouse, has also been recently reorganized and arranged in a new order.

To access the Archives, individuals can make an appointment by submitting a written request or contacting the Director via email.

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Biblioteca Archivio "Renato Maestro" ("Renato Maestro" Library) on Map

Sight Name: Biblioteca Archivio "Renato Maestro" ("Renato Maestro" Library)
Sight Location: Venice, Italy (See walking tours in Venice)
Sight Type: Attraction/Landmark

Walking Tours in Venice, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Venice

Create Your Own Walk in Venice

Creating your own self-guided walk in Venice is easy and fun. Choose the city attractions that you want to see and a walk route map will be created just for you. You can even set your hotel as the start point of the walk.
Venice Introduction Walking Tour

Venice Introduction Walking Tour

Although most experts agree that the Venetian lagoon emerged nearly 6,000 years ago, the area of today's Venice remained mostly uninhabited, except for a small population of fishermen, up until the 5th century AD when the hordes of Gothic barbarians, looting their way into Rome, drove many a people away from their homes on the mainland to take refuge on the coastal Venetian islands.

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Tour Duration: 3 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 4.1 Km or 2.5 Miles
Titian's Paintings Walk

Titian's Paintings Walk

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Equally adept with...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles
Jewish Ghetto Tour

Jewish Ghetto Tour

Founded in 1516, the Jewish Ghetto in Venice was the oldest of its kind in all Europe. At the time, Venice received order from the Pope to expel all Jews from the city, but the Venetian government opted to lock them onto a small island in the district of Cannaregio. Since then this small area has been the center of Jewish life in Venice, with buildings rising vertically to accommodate the rising...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.4 Km or 0.2 Miles
Piazza San Marco Walking Tour

Piazza San Marco Walking Tour

All of Venice’s roads seem to run into Piazza San Marco – the commercial, religious, and political heart of the city. With a glowing reputation as one of the finest squares in the world and arguably one of Europe’s primary tourist attractions, it certainly has a lot to offer to visitors.

Start your exploration with a tour of the pink-and-white marble Palazzo Ducale, which takes you...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 0.6 Km or 0.4 Miles
Dorsoduro Walking Tour

Dorsoduro Walking Tour

One of the six districts of Venice, Dorsoduro’s name translates as “hard bridge” due to the area's relatively high terrain. Home to some of the city’s highest spots, it also comprises some of Venice’s most picturesque canals, historic locations and cultural venues, including the Basilica di Santa Maria della Salute; the Gallerie dell’ Academia & the Ca’ Rezzonico – both...  view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles
Venice's Hidden Art Treasures

Venice's Hidden Art Treasures

Among the first things springing to mind when talking about Venice, apart from the canals and gondolas, of course, is Art and Architecture. Indeed, Venice is one of the few cities in the world where Art and Architecture have merged in a stunning multiplicity of forms. The city is even renowned for its unique (Venetian) pictorial school famed by the likes of Tintoretto, Titian, Veronese, Castagno...  view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.6 Km or 2.2 Miles

Useful Travel Guides for Planning Your Trip


15 Distinctively Italian Things to Buy in Venice

15 Distinctively Italian Things to Buy in Venice

Venice has been a tourist mecca for over a century now, with millions of visitors flocking in every year to see this unique place on the face of the Earth. Many, if not all, of these people seek to obtain something memorable as a token of their stay in this city. By far, not all of them know which...