Jewish Cemetery

Ferrara's Jewish Cemetery is located in Via delle Vigne, near the Certosa, the city's large cemetery area. Nicknamed the 'garden of the Jews', this area has always been associated with burial. Although it is the largest in Ferrara, it is not the only one that was used for this purpose: in fact, other Jewish cemeteries were scattered around the city.

Dating back to the 17th century, the Jewish Cemetery houses burials from various eras. The oldest ones, however, date back to around the 19th century, as many of the previous graves were pulled down by the Inquisition tribunal. This is why some areas of the lawn are currently empty.

Other gravestones and funerary monuments were instead reused as decoration for the buildings in the city centre. One example is the two equestrian statues in front of the entrance to the Town Hall, which rest on columns covered with slabs taken from the demolition of the Jewish Cemetery.

Its entrance portal is striking for its imposing dimensions. The large arch was designed by Ciro Contini and built in 1911. Once you cross this threshold, in order to visit the cemetery you must ring a bell and wait for the caretaker to open it and usher you into the immense meadow behind its doors.

Giorgio Bassani's burial at Ferrara's Jewish Cemetery

The Jewish Cemetery houses the remains of many famous people belonging to Ferrara's Jewish community. The writer Giorgio Bassani is undoubtedly one of the best known. His tomb, with its simple lines and covered with stones in accordance with Jewish tradition, is located at the opposite end of the cemetery from the entrance.

Born in Bologna in 1916 into a Jewish family, Bassani completed his studies at the University of Bologna. Due to racial laws, he soon became a political activist forced into hiding, but despite this he managed to publish his first book in 1940.

He spent a period of imprisonment in Ferrara before moving permanently to Rome. At the end of the Second World War, he continued to publish works, one of which was transposed to a movie by Florestano Vancini ('Una notte del '43'), and began collaborating with directors such as Luchino Visconti. At the same time he became president of Italia Nostra, one of the first environmental associations in Italy.

When he died in 2000, he wished to be buried in Ferrara itself, in the Jewish Cemetery, thus re-establishing a link with his places of origin where he had lived the first harsh years of his life.

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