“Little Jerusalem” in Tuscany

Italy is intensely Catholic, being the home to the Roman Catholic Church’s headquarters, and a large majority of the population identifies itself as Roman Catholic. (Of course, the fact that far fewer of those people regularly attend church is another matter altogether.) The point I’m getting at is that when a small hilltop town in Tuscany bills itself as “Little Jerusalem” you sit up and take notice.

The town of Pitigliano sits on a butte overlooking a trio of rivers near Maremma, on the southern border of Tuscany. There is historical evidence that the area around Pitigliano was inhabited by the Etruscans, and some of the town’s main sights are connected to that period of time. There are also churches and a medieval fortress worth visiting, too, but what I want to focus on is the thing that sets Pitigliano apart from other similar Tuscan hill towns - and that is the town’s Jewish community.

There has been a Jewish community not only living in but flourishing in Pitigliano since the 1500s, when many Jews left Rome because the Catholic church was going through its “counter-reformation” period. Because this area was, at the time, a separate city-state, Jews found safe harbor in this town just across the border. The community was once even so strong that a Jewish University of Pitigliano was established. During World War II, residents of the Pitigliano area were among those who hid Jews from the Nazis, helping them to find a way out of Europe.

The name “Little Jerusalem,” or “La Piccola Gerusalemme” in Italian, refers mainly to Pitigliano’s history as a town with a large Jewish community, but sadly, there are very few Jews left in Pitigliano today. Still, residents are proud of their history. The Pitigliano synagogue dates from 1598 and contains religious objects from the 17th and 18th centuries. Residents raised the money to restore the synagogue in 1995. Other monuments which were restored include the Jewish cemetery and the Kosher oven, so visitors can see evidence of the Jewish community, and there is still Kosher wine produced in this region.

If you’re interested in visiting Pitigliano, it’s about 50km west of Orvieto, which is the nearest exit on the A1 motorway. The Jewish sights include:

• Synagogue
• Museum of Jewish Culture
• Ghetto
• Jewish Cemetery
• Kosher Oven
• Ritual Baths

The sights are run by the La Piccola Gerusalemme association. In 2026 they were open Sunday through Friday, 10:00 to 13:00 and 14:30 to 18:00 from April through October, and 10:00 to 12:30 and 14:30 to 16:30 from November through March. They’re closed on Saturdays. Check the association’s website (in Italian) for ticket prices and for closures on Jewish holidays, and arrange a large group visit in advance.

For more on the town itself, see the town’s official website (in Italian).