The Jewish ghetto was established during the House of Savoy domination (1723-1728) as a barracks for the Compagnia dei Dragoni, dedicated to Carlo Emanuele III.
It stands steeply on the enclosure wall of the historical neighbourhood of Castello, between Santa Croce and Cammino Nuovo. It has two main parts: a southern building with portal entrance, closer to the Santa Croce stronghold, and a building further north which led to the bunker below.
The engineers, Antonio Felice De Vincenti and De La Vallée (1736) expanded the barracks with stables and sleeping quarters for 198 men. In 1732, thanks to the excavation of the rock and the leftover material, the Controguardia di Santa Croce was built. The work of the Piedmonts was linked to reinforcing the defences with a counterguard which satisfied modern developments concerning ballistics.
At the end of the nineteenth century, after its military presence was disbanded, the buildings were handed over to the city council and sold to private individuals who transformed them into modest homes. To this day, there are still houses in the southern unit of the Ghetto, in a state of decay.
The northern part, owned by the city council and restored in 1992, is now a cultural space hosting exhibitions, conferences, seminars and concerts.
The inaccurate name of “Jewish Ghetto” is linked to the presence of a Jewish community from the Middle Ages up until their expulsion in 1492, but further south in the neighbourhood, between via Santa Croce and via Stretta.
