Pisa | The Jewish Cemetery

Outside the medieval walls behind Piazza dei Miracoli, the Jewish cemetery has hosted the burials of the Jews of Pisa and elsewhere since 1674. Of particular interest are the quality and stylistic variety of the tombs, which range from the traditional Jewish parallelepiped forms to the Empire style monuments of the early twentieth century.

The different geographic origins of the graves show how the Jewish presence in Pisa has been varied over the centuries and also testifies to the choice of many Jews (especially from Spain and Portugal) to be buried in the Pisan cemetery, by virtue of the monumental context in which it is inserted. Documents and testimonies attest to the existence in Pisa of at least four Jewish cemeteries from the 13th century to today.

In the cemetery there are also the graves of the Jewish soldiers who fell in the First World War and, above all, of the Jewish victims of the Nazi-fascist violence. The names of those who were deported and disappeared in the extermination camps are remembered by a plaque on the wall of the mortuary chapel.

The Cemetery is visible from the top of the medieval walls, access point Tower of Santa Maria.