A Visit to the Past

In the mid-1500s, Pope Paul IV decreed that Jewish people living in Rome must be segregated from the rest of the community because of their non-Christian beliefs.  A ghetto was to be constructed of four blocks housing 1000 people and surrounded by tall walls and gates which were to be locked at night.  Those who lived within the walls were subjected to many cruel laws and regulations governing every aspect of their lives and although some in the community originally welcomed the concept as a means of following their beliefs in a safe environment, the ghetto was built in a seedy area of Rome near a section of the Tiber river which was subject to flooding and soon became severely overcrowded, disease and poverty-ravaged. 

A great deal has been written about these terrible times, and this is not the place to dwell on that subject, but I recommend further reading if you are interested (and you should be...).

This morning we walked to the area formerly known as the Jewish ghetto, which still contains many kosher restaurants, a synagogue and shops catering to members of the community wishing to buy religious items.  Although it has not been "a ghetto" for a long time, the area still has a distinctly Jewish flavour and there is quite a vigorous community still in residence there.

After coffee, we walked on to the back of what remains of the nearby Teatro di Marcello which in its heyday had been a performance site for song and theatre in Ancient Rome.  Built in 13 BC to hold 13,000 spectators, it was a very significant structure, but only a shadow's evidence of this remains today.  Amazingly, there are a number of small apartments built on the upper portion of the walls.  I couldn't help wondering what the inhabitants of those apartments give as their mailing address.

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