Experiencing Rome's Jewish quarter with an open mind and an empty stomach

And there was the Orthodox lady at the Colosseum who, in response to my comments that the Jews probably built the arena (which many did as captives, brought from Judea by the Romans), incorrectly pointed out that we did build the pyramids (we didn’t).

But set foot inside the old Jewish Ghetto and you’re in Tel Aviv-on-Tiber. Rome has a Jewish population of some 13,500, and they all seem to be out enjoying their evening passeggiata along with tourists from the US, UK, France, Israel, and all places in between. It’s pure theater.

Of course, when in Rome, you’ll see the usual suspects, including the Colosseum and the Roman Forum. Just make sure you sport a hat (there’s very little shade) and slap on the suntan lotion. As you enter the Forum, don’t miss the Arch of Titus, which commemorates the victory in the Jewish War (66-74 CE) of Emperor Vespasian and his son Titus. The display of the spoils of war depicted on the arch includes the seven-branched Menorah pilfered from the Temple in Jerusalem.

It’s this image that was chosen in 1948 as the symbol of the State of Israel. The Menorah itself seems to have been lost to history, but there’s a riddle as to what may have happened to it. Theories vary from it being melted down in an ancient Roman fire, transported to Istanbul, or lying on the bed of the Mediterranean. In 1818, the river bed of the Tiber was searched by trawlers without success.

In Roman times, the lowest tier of the Colosseum was reserved for senators, the next tier for the equestrian order, while the common people occupied the third and fourth tiers. These days, the trick is to reverse that order. You can’t obtain tickets that include both the attic at the top and the more recently opened subterranean tunnels. Plump for the former – they only let in perhaps a dozen visitors an hour, and you can luxuriate up there like a patrician, watching the hundreds of plebs on the lower levels wilt in the heat. Also, before you arrive in Italy, it’s advisable to spend some time navigating the atrociously difficult online booking procedures.

There’s also the free tourist honeypots: The Spanish Steps, beautiful in spring when cocooned in azaleas, with magnificent panoramic views across the Eternal City from the top; and the Trevi Fountain, but be aware that if you wish to toss your three coins therein (allegedly promising good luck, love, and a return to Rome), tourists are only permitted in batches of four hundred at a time. Whatever your religious persuasion, the sheer scale of the Papal Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican, dominating its massive piazza, is simply awe-inspiring, as is the huge mass of humanity queuing to get in.

To get a feel for Jewish Rome as it used to be, it’s necessary to visit its ghetto. The Jewish community of Rome is probably the oldest in the world outside the Middle East, the first record of Jews in the city being from 161 BCE. The anti-Jewish papal bull of 1442 mandated that the Jews not “live among Christians, but within certain streets…let them live among themselves.”

The ghetto was formally established in 1555 in the most undesirable part of the city, subject to constant flooding from the River Tiber. Until the unification of Italy in 1870, the ghetto was generally controlled by the papacy, and each Saturday, the Jewish community was required to listen to compulsory church sermons. In 1888, the ghetto’s walls were demolished, and the Jews were granted citizenship. Embankments were created to prevent flooding, and in 1904, the Great Synagogue was erected.

Inside, the lavish Art Nouveau style is complemented by Assyrian-style columns and friezes, the ark resplendent beneath the flamboyant multi-hued dome. On Sukkot 1982, the synagogue was attacked by armed Palestinian terrorists, and Stefano Gaj Taché, a two-year-old boy, was murdered. This is commemorated by a plate affixed to the synagogue. Three popes have visited the synagogue, the latest being Pope Francis in 2016, when he denounced all violence and spoke comforting words of reconciliation between Jews and Christians.

On the same site as the synagogue is the Jewish Museum of Rome. Its permanent exhibition traces the history of Roman Jews through the Roman era, the Middle Ages, the Ghetto, and Fascism. It also features galleries illustrating the Libyan/Roman connection (of which more later), describing daily life in the ghetto and exhibiting items from the five synagogues that occupied the Great Synagogue’s site before its construction, including precious Renaissance and Baroque velvets and lace which had been adapted for use in the synagogues.

Once the day’s sightseeing is concluded, your stomach will begin to anticipate the delights of the evening meal. The ghetto area is a short taxi ride from the main drag and, as well as the synagogue and its ancillary attractions, boasts at least a dozen kosher food outlets. On a friends-and-family survey prior to flying out, the landslide winner was Ba’Ghetto.

The restaurant was established some 40 years ago by Ester and Amran Dabush, and their passion and creativity have been passed on to their children, Ilan, Amit, Avi, and Eran. Not only is Ba’Ghetto the oldest Jewish restaurant in Rome, but it’s also the largest kosher restaurant in Italy and, indeed, in Europe. The family also runs eateries in Florence, Milan, and Venice.

The cucina (as the Italians say) is a fusion of Jewish, Roman, and Middle Eastern traditions. A specialty is Tripolitan cuisine from Libya. In the aftermath of the Six Day War in June 1967, some 6,000 Jews were forced to flee Libya in desperate circumstances. Two-thirds of them passed through Italy, 2,000 continuing their journey to Israel, with the remaining 2,000 settling permanently in Rome. Today, Libyan Jews constitute approximately 30% of the Jewish population of the Eternal City, seamlessly integrating into the community and adding a further layer of culture and tradition to the Roman Jewish experience.

The first rule to learn about eating in Italy is that there’s more than just a starter and a main course – yes, there are appetizers (antipasti), but you then have the primi piatti followed by the secondi piatti. The primi course (typically pasta) is heavier than the antipasti, but lighter than the secondi.

But the second rule is that these rules are there to be broken. You can treat the meal as if you’re choosing your clothes to go out, basing your evening on the main course, which would be your suit or cocktail dress. We chose tender chicken pargit skewers and oven-roasted veal breast, but the comprehensive menu extends to grilled lamb chops, beef entrecôte, and even a giant tomahawk steak.

Then you can add your accessories (shirt, tie, jewelry) to complement the main event – recommended are the Middle Eastern Mix (baba ganoush, falafel, hummus, and tahini) from the antipasti or, if you’re really hungry, the spaghetti carbonara-style. Substituting smoked goose breast for the non-kosher meat element and necessarily dispensing with the cheese, the chef’s virtuosic legerdemain has nevertheless crafted a tempting carbon-copy carbonara.

Alternatively, you could break the rules by going for separates, a skirt or trousers with a T-shirt, less formal but just as attractive and appetizing. So we ordered two antipasti. First, the archetypal Judeo-Roman dish of Jewish-style artichokes. Carciofo alla giudìa was conceived when all sorts of foods were fried in the confined spaces of the ghetto between the 16th and 19th centuries. Resurrected today, the leaves are opened to create the vision of a blooming flower. You crunch through the outer fried leaves until you reach the succulent heart of the vegetable.

There’s always something going on at Ba’Ghetto, be it lively sheva berachot or bar/bat mitzvah celebrations, with atmospheric music overflowing from inside the restaurant towards the outdoor tables basking in the balmy evening air. Don’t worry, though, because the waiters have the innate ability to multitask, serving all with equal dexterity and sharp wit.

More than that, if you return the next evening, they’ll remember not only your face but also what you ordered on your previous visit. Communication with fellow diners is de rigueur whether, as we were, you’re seated next to an American blogger with Ukrainian parents or a young French couple giving their cute baby a night on the town.

If you fancy a non-meaty meal (either in the evening or for a nutritious lunch), the good news is that practically across the road from Ba’Ghetto Meaty is its sister, Ba’Ghetto Milky. Here you can indulge in a piquant creamy pasta with Pecorino cheese and black pepper or push the boat out with fresh sea bass.