Museo Ebraico di Lecce (Lecce Jewish Museum), Lecce

Long before Lecce was showing off its Baroque brilliance, it was home to a vibrant medieval Jewish community. You can still trace that story at the Jewish Museum of Lecce, located on the ground floor of what鈥檚 now called Palazzo Taurino. The building鈥檚 history is a bit like a historical layer cake: in 1589, Bergamo merchant Marco Trono expanded his home over the ruins of the Church of the Annunciation, which itself had been built on top of a medieval synagogue. Real estate doesn鈥檛 get much more layered than that.

The museum came to life after a careful restoration by Bruno Taurino, who uncovered archaeological remains from the old Jewish quarter while renovating the property. Inside, you鈥檒l find mikveh pools once used for ritual bathing, a stone doorframe that held a mezuzah, and a clever 3D model that maps out the vanished Jewish neighborhood beneath today鈥檚 Baroque streets. It鈥檚 a before-and-after like no other.

But this place isn鈥檛 just about silent artifacts behind glass. Since opening, the museum has become an active hub, offering guided tours, workshops, and themed walks that revive centuries of Jewish life in Lecce鈥攆rom the early presence in the 9th century all the way to the tragic expulsion and pogrom of 1496. If you鈥檙e curious about the city鈥檚 lesser-known layers, the Jewish Museum offers a rare and moving glimpse into a chapter Baroque Lecce nearly paved over.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Lecce. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "黑料吃瓜网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Create Your Own Self-Guided Walk to Visit This Sight

Sight Name: Museo Ebraico di Lecce (Lecce Jewish Museum)
Sight Location: Lecce, Italy (See walking tours in Lecce)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

Lecce Introduction Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Lecce, Italy

Create Your Own Walk in Lecce

Creating your own self-guided walk in Lecce 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.

Lecce's Baroque Churches Walking Tour

Lecce isn鈥檛 shy about its reputation鈥攊t鈥檚 often called the 鈥淐apital of Baroque,鈥� and one stroll through the old town makes it clear why. This southern Italian city turned its soft local limestone, Lecce stone, into an architect鈥檚 playground. Elaborate fa莽ades, swirling details, and sculptures bursting from the walls made the 17th century feel like one long design competition. And with... view more

Tour Duration: 1 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.0 Km or 1.2 Miles

Lecce Introduction Walking Tour

German historian Ferdinand Gregorovius called Lecce 鈥渢he Florence of the Baroque era.鈥� The city traces its beginnings around the time of the Trojan Wars, which took place around the 11th century BC. However, it first steps firmly into the record in the 3rd century BC as Lupiae under Roman control. The name is thought to come from lupus, the Latin word for wolf, recalling the animals that once... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 2.1 Km or 1.3 Miles

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