Vertical Separation - Morphological Tourism

Venice, sometimes thought of as the city of no walls, has always been a place of global cultural interaction, largely due to its role as a center for trade throughout the 9 - 12th centuries.  The founding principles of the city are based on this strong influence from other countries, which is probably the reason that Venice was the only city in Italy that was free from religious fanaticism in the 16th century.

The first Jewish ghetto was formed in Venice in 1516.  Although the Jewish people were not granted Venetian citizenship, this place served as a cultural hub for those seeking religious freedom.  This part of the city eventually became a completely segregated sector.  Throughout the 16th and 17th centuries, five synagogues were constructed in the ghetto, each one representing a different ethnic group: Scola Grande Tedesca, Scola Canton, Scola Italiana, Scola Levantina, Scola Spagnola.  This area eventually became so dense that the buildings were forced to expand upward when the ghetto could no longer support the population.  When Napoleon Bonepart came to Venice, he decreed the end of Jewish segregation and allowed the Jewish people to finally become citizens of Venice.

Map from 1800

Present day map

My experience in Italy, thus far, has been a culture of very strict theological views.  I thought it was interesting that the actually open geography of Venice would yield a more tolerant and open religious culture.  However, segregation did divide the people of Venice, both culturally and physically for some time.  This separation was actually able to create a spatial difference within the topography of Venice, due to the building of larger buildings within the ghetto.  This is a hub for Jewish people all over the world and has been able to survive for 500 years without losing significance.