In the Ghetto degli Ebrei (Jewish Ghetto), the area north of the Torre dell’Elefante, between Via Santa Croce and Via Stretta, the maze of narrow streets appears little changed since medieval times. Under Spanish rule the Jewish community was expelled in 1492 and today little remains except the name, applied to a restored former barracks, the Centro Comunale d’Arte e Cultura Il Ghetto , which hosts temporary exhibitions, many with a Sardinian slant.
In the wake of the Jewish expulsion, the Chiesa di Santa Croce was built over the ghetto’s former synagogue.
