Spend a delightful day of tourist exploration in the charming town of Pitigliano in the Maremma area of Southern Tuscany. Known as ‘Little Jerusalem’, this walled hilltop town is a beautiful sight to behold and is filled with historical and cultural heritage.
Stay in a beautiful vacation rental in Grosseto and enjoy all this scenic tourist area has to offer!
The Jewish roots of Pitigliano first grew in the early 16th century when many Jews moved out from the nearby region of Latium. The Roman Papal States here were anti- Semitic which drove the population out into more peaceful parts of Italy.
The skilfully carved and constructed buildings of Pitigliano are rooted in the extremely malleable volcanic rock of the hill upon which it is built. In fact, this soft tufu rock was carved out to create a clever water transport system beneath the town.
Stay in a beautiful vacation rental in Grosseto and enjoy all this scenic tourist area has to offer!
The Jewish roots of Pitigliano first grew in the early 16th century when many Jews moved out from the nearby region of Latium. The Roman Papal States here were anti- Semitic which drove the population out into more peaceful parts of Italy.
The skilfully carved and constructed buildings of Pitigliano are rooted in the extremely malleable volcanic rock of the hill upon which it is built. In fact, this soft tufu rock was carved out to create a clever water transport system beneath the town.
Begin your day in Pitigliano with a walk around the magnificent 14th century Orsini Palace which is now a museum. Crossing through the town of Pitigliano is a 17th century aqueduct commissioned by the powerful Florentine Medici Family.
With power of the town given to the Medici Family by the Pope in the early 1600s, a grim new development was in store for the Jewish population here. They were moved to a confined section of the town and were ordered to be instantly recognised as Jews by males wearing red hats and females wearing red badges.
Gladly this did little to disintegrate the friendly bond that was long established between the Jews and non-Jews of Pitigliano.
With power of the town given to the Medici Family by the Pope in the early 1600s, a grim new development was in store for the Jewish population here. They were moved to a confined section of the town and were ordered to be instantly recognised as Jews by males wearing red hats and females wearing red badges.
Gladly this did little to disintegrate the friendly bond that was long established between the Jews and non-Jews of Pitigliano.
In 1773 the liberal Grand Duke of Tuscany, Pietro Leopoldo lifted these restrictions. In 1810, much of the Jewish population of Pitigliano left when they were granted equal rights to move whever they desired in Italy under the Unification of Italy Act.
This fascinating history has brought with it an exciting blend of Italian/Jewish culture and cuisine which still thrives in Pitigliano today.
Read our accompanying article to discover more about this interesting Tuscan town.
This fascinating history has brought with it an exciting blend of Italian/Jewish culture and cuisine which still thrives in Pitigliano today.
Read our accompanying article to discover more about this interesting Tuscan town.
Photo credits
picture 1: GiorgioPro / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Barbaking / CC BY-SA 3.0
picture 1: GiorgioPro / CC BY-SA 3.0;
picture 3: Barbaking / CC BY-SA 3.0
