TheVenetian summer is enriched with new cultural opportunities. In fact, from June to September 2025, the public will once again have extraordinary access to one of the most evocative places in the lagoon city: the Jewish Monumental Cemetery on the Venice Lido. Seven appointments, all on Sunday mornings at 10:30 a.m., will offer a trip down memory lane between art, tradition and centuries-old history, with in-depth guided tours of a place usually closed to the public.
The initiative is part of the wider context of cultural activities promoted in the Jewish Ghetto of Venice, the oldest in Europe, with daily guided tours, thematic itineraries and the opportunity to explore the community’s historic synagogues. The Lido Cemetery, with its more than 1,200 tombstones and a history spanning four centuries, represents a fundamental piece of Venetian and Italian Jewish culture.
The calendar of special openings includes seven guided tours beginning Sunday, June 22 at 10:30 a.m. Subsequent dates will be July 6, July 27, August 10, August 24, September 7 and September 14, all starting at the same time. This is a unique opportunity to pass through the gates of a site of great historical and spiritual value that is not usually accessible to the public.
The meeting point for participants is set at Riviera San Nicolò, corner of Via Cipro, on Venice Lido. From there, the guided exploration of the Ancient Cemetery, founded in 1386 and used until the second half of the 18th century, will begin. During these centuries, the cemetery was a silent witness to the Jewish presence in the Serenissima, through epitaphs, symbols and artistic styles that reflect the historical and cultural evolution of the community.
The Ancient Jewish Cemetery on the Lido is one of the oldest in Europe. Its foundation dates back to the 14th century, when land on the Riviera di San Nicolò was granted to the Jewish community. The site has gone through ups and downs and transformations over the centuries: many of its original areas have been lost, as have numerous tombstones, due to historical vicissitudes and abandonment.
It is only since the 1990s that a major recovery and rearrangement work has been undertaken, thanks to which about 1,200 tombstones have been saved and catalogued. Today, this space of memory has become not only a place of recollection, but also an important center for historical and cultural reflection. Guided tours allow visitors to grasp the complexity and richness of a place where every stone tells a story.
To visit the Jewish Monumental Cemetery on the Lido is to embark on a journey through Jewish Venice from the 14th to the 18th century. The tombstones tell stories of merchants, rabbis, doctors, artisans and women who contributed to the life of the Serenissima. The epitaphs in Hebrew, Latin or Italian, the heraldic symbols, and the stylistic choices of the engravings offer valuable insights into the identity of a community capable of integrating while maintaining its specificity.
The specialized guide accompanies visitors among the tombs illustrating artistic and historical details, revealing often little-known aspects of the Venetian past. The tour thus becomes an opportunity to reflect on the value of memory, the permanence of cultural roots and the importance of preserving historical heritage.
The initiative at the Monumental Cemetery complements the guided tours that enliven Venice’s Jewish Ghetto every day. The comprehensive tour, available in Italian and English, includes access to one synagogue with a guide and the possibility of visiting a second one independently. Tickets cost 17 euros (full), 15 euros (reduced) and 12 euros for residents or those born in Venice.
Also available to support the experience are free apps in five languages-Italian, English, French, German and Spanish-that enrich the tour with extra content. Guided tours operate daily, except Saturdays, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Private tours are also available by reservation, both to the Lido Cemetery and to the restored Spanish, Levantine, Italian and Midrash Luzzato synagogues.
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| Venice Lido Jewish Cemetery returns to visit: summer of special openings |
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