The first
Jewish cemetery was established at the same time as the
ghetto in 1660 in a field in the Castelletto area, next to the ancient walls. The burial ground was used until 1704-1705, when the Community was assigned an adjoining plot, that according to the records of the time, was “
under the second bastion of Castelletto, beyond the curtain walls”. Currently, a stone wall plaque in the
synagogue describes it. After 1771 the area was used for other purposes and, before long, almost every recognisable feature of its having been a cemetery was lost.In the early 19th Century, the Community was given the use of a new cemetery, called
La Cava (the Quarry) named after the ancient urban area where it was located, overlooking the sea, at the end of the present-day Via Corsica. The burial ground remained in operation until 1886, when it was declared unusable and expropriated to allow for the construction of new buildings. The Jewish Community was then given a section of the Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno, and several remains were transferred from the earlier burial ground.
Currently there are two Jewish sections in the cemetery: the oldest is accessed from the main entrance that has a marble portal listing of the names of the Genoese Jews deported to death camps. Inside, simple graves lie alongside more elaborate ones, influenced by the style of non-Jewish funeral monuments. When there was no longer any space in this section, a second field, near a cliff, higher up, was added to the 19th-Century one.
Piazzale Resasco
Self-guided tours
Visiting hours:
Daily 7.30 am – 5.00 pm
December 25 and Easter: 7.30 am – 1.00 pm
Closed:
Saturdays and Jewish holidays, January 1st and 6th, Easter Monday, June 24, August 15, December 26.
Admission until one hour before closing time.
Information
Tel. +39 010 5576400
E mail servcivici@comune.genova.it
www.staglieno.comune.genova.it
