Antico Cimitero Israelitico

Lonely Planet review

A few hundred metres south of the Chiesa di San Nicolò is what remains of the Antico Cimitero Israelitico (Old Jewish Cemetery). In 1386, Venice's Jews acquired the right to bury their dead on a strip of the Lido that started near the Chiesa di San Nicolò and extended down here. It fell into disuse in the 18th century (when the Nuovo Cimitero Israelitico opened nearby). The bulk of the tombstones were discovered by construction workers in the late 19th century.

TIt was decided to set them up in some sort of orderly fashion as a visitors' attraction at a time when the Lido was taking off as a luxury tourist destination.urn up at the gates or buy tickets in advance at the Museo Ebraico to tour the burial ground, said to be the second-oldest Jewish cemetery in Europe after that in Worms (Germany). The cemetery is open only on Sunday for these organised visits (check which language is on at which time, as it changes).