In the historic centre of Alessano, the memory of the ancient Jewish quarter is preserved. It was located near the castle and close to the Porta Santa Maria, also known as the Porticella. The area of the Giudecca can still be identified within the urban fabric through the street name Via Giudecca, and it developed around what is now Piazzetta Costa.
Administrative records from the mid-15th century attest to the presence of a Jewish community in Alessano and provide evidence of a well-organised group integrated into the town’s economic life. The records reveal the presence of families engaged in artisanal and commercial activities and involved in the social and economic dynamics of the urban centre.
The community’s synagogue was also located in the Giudecca area. After the expulsion of Jews from the Kingdom of Naples in 1541, it was converted into a Christian church dedicated to Santa Maria delle Grazie. The building was later demolished, but the presence of the Giudecca and the surviving documentary evidence still make it possible to reconstruct, at least in part, the history of the Jewish presence in Alessano.
Piazzetta Costa / Via della Giudecca
