The Jewish “Ghetto” of Rome is not often on tourists’ list of places to visit in Rome, but it is well worth an exploration for those who have the time. From Sept. 25-27, Jews around the world – including Jews in Rome and across Italy – will celebrate Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year.

While Americans of Jewish faith are most often associated with Eastern Europe, some of our readers might not be aware that Rome’s Jewish ghetto is among the world’s oldest. The oldest is the Venetian ghetto, ghetto deriving from the Venetian word gèto, which means metal castings.