The Italian Jewish community is introducing a series of “virtual tours” that will enable far-flung users to “visit” Jewish heritage sites and museums from anywhere there is an internet connection.
The Union of Italian Jewish Communities (UCEI) has announced a competition for “virtual tours” of Jewish heritage in four places — Padova, Florence, Ancona (with the possible addition of Senigallia and Pesaro, which both have beautful synagogues and Jewish cemeteries), and Naples (with possible expansion to include other sites in southern Italy, perhaps, for example, Trani, with its active medieval Scolanova synagogue and Jewish museum in a former synagogue).
These will join four virtual tours of Jewish museums (and in some cases synagogues) that went online recently and can be accessed from the UCEI web site — for Rome, Casale Monferato, Venice, and Bologna (with its Jewish museum, synagogue and Jewish cemetery). Navigation is optimized for PC, tablet and smartphone.
The Virtual Tour provides a self-guided, room-by-room walking tour through these Jewish sites, and the zoom function allows the viewer to explore from closer range their astonishing architectural and artistic details, enriching your visit and the cultural experience in a unique way.
The call for proposals for the new tours stresses that a key aim is to promote Jewish heritage tourism and to develop awareness and appreciation of the rich Jewish patrimony that exists in all parts of Italy and dates back to ancient Roman times.
The deadline for submissions is 3 p.m., November 19, 2015. Proposals must be sent by email to segreteria@ucei.it.
Parameters for the proposals (such as the inclusion of at least 20 360 degree panoramic images and preparation of the “tours” in both Italian and English) and other details can be found — in Italian — by clicking HERE.
The initiative is part of a growing number of efforts to promote Jewish heritage in Italy — the country is also an enthusiastic participant in the European Day of Jewish Culture, with events and “open doors” to Jewish heritage sites in about 70 towns, villages, and cities up and down the peninsula.
Click here to access the call for proposals and project details (in Italian)
Click to see the JHE report on Jewish heritage in Padova