Scuola Italiana (Italian Synagogue), Venice

Built in 1575, the Italian Synagogue quietly marks the final chapter of synagogue construction under the Venetian Republic. From the outside, it makes a rare effort to stand out: five tall arched windows line the façade, and a modest Baroque dome rises above the apse like a subtle signature. A crest on the wall announces, without ambiguity, the presence of the “Holy Italian Community in the year 1575,” while a small plaque nearby offers a sober reminder of the destruction of the ancient Temple in Jerusalem—history compressed into stone...

Getting inside requires intention. You slip through an unassuming doorway and climb a narrow staircase, a deliberate bit of architectural discretion designed to keep sacred space out of public view. At the top, the synagogue reveals itself as intimate rather than grand. This was the prayer house of the Italkim community, whose economic means were limited and whose congregation rarely exceeded twenty-five worshipers. Services were conducted in both Italian and Hebrew, reflecting a tradition rooted locally yet firmly connected to wider Jewish practice.

The interior is a slightly elongated rectangle, carefully proportioned and quietly expressive. The Holy Ark, or Aron Kodesh, is crafted from wood and ornamented with restrained elegance, rising to a solid, almost architectural pinnacle. The 18th-century bimah (the pulpit where the Torah is read) projects from a polygonal apse, giving the room a gentle sense of movement, while the stair railings display crossed-arch motifs typical of Venetian furniture of the period. Gilded inscriptions along the walls record moments of care and generosity—renovations in 1740, a major restoration dated 1789 beneath the pulpit, and further work carried out in 1842—each layer adding to the building’s quiet biography.

In 2021, conservation work began again, marking the 50th anniversary of the Save Venice organization. The goal is simple and necessary: to ensure that this small, carefully hidden synagogue continues to speak—softly but clearly—about endurance, community, and continuity in the heart of the Venetian Ghetto.