Synagogue of Casale Monferrato, Casale Monferrato, Italy

The Synagogue of Casale Monferrato was built in 1595 and is particularly known for its exquisite Baroque interior with walls and ceiling embellished with elaborate painting, carving and gilding. It is located in a narrow alleyway in the traditionally Jewish quarter of Casale Monferrato, which in the eighteenth century became the city’s ghetto. The plain building houses a clandestine synagogue, giving no indication of its purpose as a Jewish house of worship.

As in most early modern European synagogues, the synagogue was entered not directly from the street, but via a courtyard: both for reasons of security and to comply with laws requiring that the sound of Jewish worship not be audible by Christians.

Casale Monferrato is one of the few synagogues that survived in Piedmont, which once had many. Others in or close to Monferrato and the Langhe include the Biella Synagogue, the Vercelli Synagogue, and those of Asti, Alessandria, Chieri, Carmagnola, Cherasco, Moncalvo and Trino Vercellese.

In 1941, the synagogue was vandalized in the context of the Fascist persecution of Jews during World War II.

The museums

The Jewish Art and History Museum, also known as the Museum of Silverware (Museo degli Argenti), was designed by Giulio Bourbon and is located in part in the former women’s gallery of the synagogue. On display are precious silver ceremonial objects and embroidered textiles, as well as artefacts related to Jewish festivals and domestic life.

The Museum of Lights (Museo dei Lumi) occupies an underground room formerly used for baking matzot and houses a growing collection of menorahs created by contemporary Jewish and non-Jewish artists including Elio Carmi, Emanuele Luzzati, Aldo Mondino, Gabriele Levy, Marco Porta, Tobia Ravà, Antonio Recalcati and David Gerstein.

User Reviews

Candacë Manske (3 years ago)
Wonderful tour in English, magnificent welcome.

Amos Adjusters (4 years ago)
You cannot come to Casale without visiting this historic monument. A good place to stop and reflect.

Itai Bass (5 years ago)
Amazing! Uniquely decorated 400+ years synagogue. Lovely welcoming people!

Renato Lilienfeld (5 years ago)
My family and I traveled specially from Chile to Casale Monferrato to visit the Synagouge for a guided tour. We arrived 30 minutes late due to traffic conditions. Nobody opened the door. The response through the door bell was that the guide left because we did not arrived on time. Terrible that a Jewish Community treat a Jewish family from Chile like this. Renato Lilienfeld Past President Bnei Isroel Community, Santiago-Chile

Emily (7 years ago)
What a lovey welcoming place. As English speakers we were given a private docent tour. Mauritzia, was a wonderful, knowledgable guide. This synagogue is a gem and the museum beautifully and lovingly put together. Go and see it. You will be glad you did.

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Photo from Flickr, copyright larrywkoester

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Monte d'Accoddi

Monte d"Accoddi is a Neolithic archaeological site in northern Sardinia, located in the territory of Sassari. The site consists of a massive raised stone platform thought to have been an altar. It was constructed by the Ozieri culture or earlier, with the oldest parts dated to around 4,000–3,650 BC.

The site was discovered in 1954 in a field owned by the Segni family. No chambers or entrances to the mound have been found, leading to the presumption it was an altar, a temple or a step pyramid. It may have also served an observational function, as its square plan is coordinated with the cardinal points of the compass.

The initial Ozieri structure was abandoned or destroyed around 3000 BC, with traces of fire found in the archeological evidence. Around 2800 BC the remains of the original structure were completely covered with a layered mixture of earth and stone, and large blocks of limestone were then applied to establish a second platform, truncated by a step pyramid (36 m × 29 m, about 10 m in height), accessible by means of a second ramp, 42 m long, built over the older one. This second temple resembles contemporary Mesopotamian ziggurats, and is attributed to the Abealzu-Filigosa culture.

Archeological excavations from the chalcolithic Abealzu-Filigosa layers indicate the Monte d"Accoddi was used for animal sacrifice, with the remains of sheep, cattle, and swine recovered in near equal proportions. It is among the earliest known sacrificial sites in Western Europe.

The site appears to have been abandoned again around 1800 BC, at the onset of the Nuragic age.

The monument was partially reconstructed during the 1980s. It is open to the public and accessible by the old route of SS131 highway, near the hamlet of Ottava. It is 14,9 km from Sassari and 45 km from Alghero. There is no public transportation to the site. The opening times vary throughout the year.

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