We are in the Jewish Ghetto, one of the most controversial and sad neighborhoods, as authentic as few other places and full of charm. I like getting lost in these silent streets because it makes me forget soon to be in the noisy and chaotic Rome.
A visit to the ghetto is an intense experience that it’s a must if you are in the Capital. Start your walk by leaving behind the Tiber island: you will find yourself in via del Portico di Ottavia, the most lively and popular district. Here are the most famous restaurants like Da Giggetto where you can taste the Roman-Jewish typical dishes. It is not excellent but this place has become a “cult”.
If you notice a long line of people and you cannot understand why they are waiting patiently, take a sneak peek and you will realize that you are at Boccione, an old Jewish pastry without signs and decorations that produces typical sweets like amaretti biscuits with almonds, mostaccioli and Kranz. This place has become so legendary that its customers come from all over the world to taste the toasted bruschetta, the ricotta and sour cherry cake and the "pizza da beridde", a very special sweet typical of the Judeo-Roman tradition made with raisins, pine nuts, hazelnuts and candied fruit. A little further on there is La Dolceroma, the first Austrian pastry shop in Rome, where you will find dobostorte, strudel and other legendary Viennese sweets such as the exquisite Sacher single portion.
If you are greedy you are in the right place. The scent of freshly baked bread and the aroma of cinnamon spread in the narrow alleys of the ghetto. The culinary tradition is an element that characterizes this district. At the Antico Forno del Ghetto you can buy the excellent strands and rosettes, but also the famous white pizza "scrocchiarella".
Moving to the east there is the archaeological area of the Teatro di Marcello which, together with what remains of the Portico di Ottavia and the Synagogue, is the site of greatest interest in the area.
Walking to the north you will surely find yourself in a narrow, narrow street: it is via della Reginella, one of the most fascinating streets of the ghetto. This road connecting Via del Portico di Ottavia and Piazza Mattei is full of small art galleries and artisan shops. At number 28 there is the louvre museum (written in small letters), a space that is a bit like an antiquarian bookshop, a little art gallery and photographic archive. The large wooden shelves hold books, drawings, postcards, letters and notebooks. In the drawers there are rare and precious cards, original works, curious and personal documents, some of which will never be sold.
Along via Catalana south of Piazza Mattei there is the Jewish Museum which preserves the historical, cultural and artistic memory of the Jewish community of Rome.