Jewish Museum Lecce

The Museum is a centre of culture and permanent exhibition on the presence of Jews in Lecce throughout time. It is in the building known as Palazzo Personè lies between Vico Saponea and via Umberto, where the original of the Mediaeval Giudecca stood. Following the 1541 expulsion of Jews from Apulia it was taken over by the Santa Croce (The Holy Cross) complex and the attached Convent of the Celestines. Palazzo Personè was built on the remains of the old Synagogue and has changed hands several times including being owned by the Taurinos who purchased the museum area, hence the name Palazzo Taurino Museum.
The Museum was opened in 2016, and has seven halls illustrating the history and lives of Lecce Jews. The area bears many signs of the local Jewish identity, such as the hollow for the mezuzah, the mikvaoth baths in the foundations of the church believed to have been built over one of the city’s synagogues.
A museum Tour retraces the good times and the hostility the community experienced.