The first Jewish ghetto was located in Venice and mandated by the Doge on the site of an old foundry (or geto in Italian). Ashkenazi inhabitants were required to live in this area and be locked up at night. Later Sephardic immigrants were allowed to live in a New Ghetto south of the old ghetto and with less restrictions (due to their prosperity and access to wealthy trading routes in the Levant).

This site is worth visiting if you want to see an aspect of Jewish history in Europe, specifically the origins of a this particular form of anti-semitism and isolation (it was Napoleon who finally abolished the ghetto in Venice). And if you are interested in the community that remained strong until the Holocaust. The Jewish Museum there is worth a visit. In addition, inhabitats built ornate top-floor hidden synagogues that the museum offers regular tours of.