Jewish Milan. History and places.

The Central Station’s ghost train.

The tree of remembrance.

Evil and the voice of Hope.

Milan never had any Jewish ghetto, yet it hosts the second largest Italian community.

The community of Milan dates back to early 19th century, before that date Jews were allowed to reside in the city for a maximum of three consecutive days to carry out their businesses and this is the reason why they lived in the neighboring towns. Following the unification of Italy, they return to live in Milan and their number grew rapidly: in 1890 the Jews were two thousand. In 1938, at the time of the promulgation of Racial Laws the Community had twelve thousand. The deportees were 896. Only fifty of them returned. Book your private guided tour now

Today seven thousand Jews live in Milan, coming from fifteen different countries. Many of them have maintained rites and traditions of their home countries and gather in their own prayer rooms: thirteen in the city, with Italian, Sephardic, Sephardic Oriental, German, Persian, and Lebanese rites.

There is a new birth Milanese generation though, who attend the same Jewish school from kindergarten to the final examination.

Milan is the only city in the world that preserves intact the place where many Jewish citizens were deported. If on the one hand it represents a sad record, on the other it has a very important historical relevance.

The central Station has twenty-four visible tracks and as many are underground. The tunnel below Platform 21 is where hundreds of people were loaded onto convoys for a one-way trip to concentration camps, between December 1943 and January 1945. This area used to be operated by the postal service but the carriages that departed from here did not contain just mail……

Platform 21 is today a permanent museum: The Memorial of the Holocaust. Contact Barbara Quarello now

The purpose of my private guided tour is to let you know the history and places of Jewish Milan.

Take a look at the photos I have chosen to have a more precise idea of the places we will be visiting, e.g., the Central Synagogue, House 770, the Ancient Jewish Cemetery at Fopponino, the Central Station and the Shoa Memorial, the Jewish Section of the Monumental Cemetery and the one at the Cimitero Maggiore (Greater Cemetery), the Garden of the Righteous of Milan in the San Siro district, Cittadella degli Archivi (the mechanized archives of the City Administration), former Regina Hotel, S. Vittore Jail, stumbling stones, …

Duration of the private guided walking tour: 4 hours or 6 hours.

The tour is completely customized, and the duration depends on your wishes.

It can include private or public transportation as well.