Italy - Day 7 - Verona, Padua and Venice

On Sunday morning, after minyan at the kosher hotel, we set out for our first stop of the day, Verona, a short 30 minute drive away. We had spoken to the rabbi, Rav Yossi Labi, on Friday and he said that the ideal time for us to visit should we wish to see the shul, would be before 10 AM on Sunday, as he had meetings the rest of the day. And so we were on our way before 9 AM. 

As is the case in many of the shuls in these Italian towns, they are located in the gentrified old area of the city and that usually means "restricted driving zones" or in Italian "zona traffico limitato". One should be very aware that these exist as getting caught driving into these areas can mean very stiff fines. And so, once you see the sign (see below), look for parking outside this restricted area and proceed on foot. 

 GPS and even Waze does not distinguish between these areas and may prompt you to enter these areas in your car. Be careful (we speak from experience - $$$). The old cities are usually not too big and getting to your destination like the shul will not be difficult in most cases and besides, these villages are all quaint and worth strolling thru. 

We arrived in Verona and parked outside the restricted area and followed Waze to the address of the shul.

 While Jews only came to Verona in large numbers beginning in the 13th century, there are documents that indicate a small Jewish presence as early as the 6th century. As in many of the places that we visited, their profession was restricted to moneylending. They lived in the Jewish Quarter known as Viccolo Crocioni where there was a small synagogue. This area eventually became the Ghetto of Verona. They had to wear special articles of clothing such as a yellow hat or veil to identify themselves as Jewish. 

 

In the last half of the 19th century, the community reached its maximum, comprising over 1400 members, while today the numbers have dwindled to 100.

 The synagogue is a very large imposing structure occupying what looks like one square block in the center of town. Construction began in 1864, but the project was put on hold because of a lack of funds and was finally completed in 1929. The beautiful main facade of the shul is on Via Rita Rosani (named after a Trieste born Jewish woman who was the only Italian woman to have been killed in combat in the resistance against the Nazis). She left her profession as teacher to lead a resistance squad of 15 fighters. She was 24 years old. 

At the end of the street, there was a parked army vehicle with two soldiers on alert to ensure the safety of the community. We had been in Italy for a week and this was the first time that we had seen any security around a Jewish institution. 

 Rav Yosef Labi, who, together with his wife Chana and their young child, arrived in Verona two years ago, greeted us warmly and offered to give us a tour of the shul. It is one of the few shuls that we have visited on this trip that still has regular Shabbat services. It is a beautiful building, with a very tall spacious interior and many arches dominating the interior design of the shul. 

Rabbi Labi is originally from the Milano Chabad Community and he is working hard to maintain a Jewish presence in Verona. He has set up a Kosher shop in the shul to provide much needed supplies to residents as well as tourists, is conducting shiurim, and organizing Jewish life cycle events such as Pesach Sedarim, Purim and Chanukah parties etc. 

Another beautiful shul and this time, at least, one that was being used and seems to have a life. 

 Verona is a city of over 700000 people (metro population) and is made up of the old town and the newer town. There is a presence of remnants of Roman history evident as you drive around town and notice ancient monuments, statues and arenas. The ancient amphitheatre is the third largest in all of Italy. 

 

One of the things that Verona is known for is its connection to Shakespeare who set three of his plays in Verona; Romeo and Juliet, The Taming of the Shrew and The Two Gentlemen of Verona. And so good marketing means that even though these plays are fiction, having Juliet's balcony located in downtown Verona, means heavy tourist traffic and substantial profits to owners of the property. The picture to the left is Fran below Juliet's balcony.

The balcony is close to one of the main squares which has a daily market, located within a two minute walk of the shul. The pedestrian - only area is filled with many visitors, who usually combine their visits with an evening at the opera, staged in the Roman Amphitheatre. The narrow streets surrounding the square are lined with cafes, restaurants and quaint boutiques. 

 

We enjoyed our visit to Verona and decided that if time would permit, we would return for a more leisurely stroll through the city.

We had to leave after touring the shul as we had an appointment to visit the ancient shul of Padua, just a 40 minute drive from Verona in the direction of Venice. 

   

The Jewish community dates back to the 13th century but real growth began in the mid -14th century when the University in Padua opened and became the first university in Europe to readily admit people of all faiths which included Jews. So this was a major attraction for Jews to make their way to Padua.

 

The shul is located in the old Ghetto area of the city, comprised of numerous narrow winding streets, once again in a restricted driving area. The former Ashkenazi or German shul built in 1682 was almost entirely destroyed by fascist gangs in WWII and was lovingly restored by the community after the war. It is now the site of the Museum of Jewish Padua. The museum contains many Judaica items and the text of the ketubah below caught my eye.

 

 It has a number of knowledgeable guides who will explain to you the collection of Judaica that fills the main hall which was the sanctuary of the old shul. 

You can also watch a film by Italian Director Denis Brotto entitled Dor Holech v'Dor Ba. In it, you get to meet 10 famous former citizens of Padua who speak to you in the film about the community, its customs, its history and their contribution to Jewish Padua. 

Included in the film are actors who play the roles of Rav Judah Mintz, Rav Meir Katzenellenbogen, Rav Isaac Abarvanel and Rav Moshe Chaim Luzzatto and narrate their roles from important locations in the Padua community such as the synagogues, the ghetto and the cemetery. 

 

The shul currently in use in Padua (picture above) is the Italian synagogue built in 1548. It is a long narrow room with the Aron Kodesh and the bimah facing each other halfway down its length. 

 

The unique bimah (above) or pulpit was carved from a single elm tree that once stood in the Botanical Garden in Padua and was struck by lightning. 

Here too, there is regular Shabbat minyan in this very small 170 member Jewish community. And the nussach is Italki specific to the area around Paduah. Take a look at the difference in the text on the Friday night davening.

 

We wanted to go to the cemetery which dates back to the 1500s and which contains the final resting places of Rav Meir Katzenellenbogen known as the Maharam Mi Padua and his son Rav Shmuel Yehuda. It is customary to visit the grave of a tzaddik, as the location is seen as the appropriate place to be inspired by the holiness of the tzaddik and therefore any prayers there will have enhanced levels of concentration and devotion. 

But while in Padua, we were told that one needed to make prior arrangements to gain access to the cemetery, and besides, it was pouring rain and as such, we elected to continue on our way to Venice. 

It was a short 30 minute drive to Venice. Rather than stay on the island itself, we opted to stay at the Hilton Garden Inn in Mestre, on the mainland. Right outside our hotel was a bus stop and ten minutes later, you are dropped off at Piazza Roma, the main transportation depot in Venice. 

We unpacked and then we were off to Venice for dinner at the recently opened dairy restaurant Ghimmel Garden which is right in the main square of the Ghetto. 

When we arrived at Piazza Roma, it was clear and sunny and by the time we made our way over to the Ghetto, it was pouring rain. 

The menu at Ghimmel Garden features many specialties of the region and it was really a very good eating experience. And we had the chance to play one of our favorite games, Jewish Geography. Seated near us was a young couple from Israel, travelling thru Italy by RV with their twin 1 year old babies. When I asked them where their English was from, the husband said that his grandparents were from Windsor Ontario and when I asked for the family name, I told him that my finance professor in my MBA program at Windsor had the same name and that we taught a couple of kids in the Talmud Torah in Windsor with that last name. 

Well, his grandfather was my professor 45 years ago and we taught his cousins in the Cheder. Very small Jewish world, and now with Facebook and other social media, within minutes, we were in conversation with our former students telling them that we had met their family.

By the time we finished dinner, it had cleared up and we had a very pleasant leisurely walk back to the bus that took us back to the hotel and a well deserved good night's sleep on very comfortable Hilton Garden Inn beds. 

Next post will be Venice.

All the best

Fran and David