The Giudecca is the quarter where the Jewish community of Syracuse, one of the most important in Sicily, lived for centuries. Hidden among its alleys is a unique treasure: a ritual bath (mikveh) carved into the rock, among the oldest in Europe.
The Syracusan Jewish community flourished for over a thousand years, until the expulsion edict of 1492 issued by the Spanish crown. The streets of the quarter — Via della Giudecca, Via del Crocifisso, Vicolo dell'Olivo — still preserve their medieval layout.
The mikveh, rediscovered by chance in the 1980s beneath a building in Via Alagona during renovation work, lies 18 metres underground: three pools fed by pure spring water, carved into the rock perhaps in Byzantine times. Before leaving the city in 1492, the community sealed it to protect it.
In the quarter, the church of San Giovanni Battista, built over a synagogue, and the artisan workshops bringing the alleys back to life are also worth a stop.
Practical tips
- The mikveh can only be visited on a guided tour (ticketed, in several languages), entering from Via Alagona.
- In the evening the Giudecca is one of the most atmospheric quarters for dinner among the alleys.
