This page is also available in: Italian Hebrew

Shabbat | Pesach | Sukkot | Chanukah | Shuls | Accommodations | Kosher | Mikvah | Tours | Airports

Chabad Piazza Bologna operates an information hotline, email, and website www.JewishRome.com with a full listing of Shuls, Kosher places, and hotels in the proximity of shuls.

Chabad is located in the area of Piazza Bologna, with synagogues with daily services, a beautiful Mikva for women and one for men, a Kosher bakery, restaurants, and kosher stores.

Chabad offers Shabbat meals in this area.

In the area of Piazza Bologna there are various attractions like the Museum of Villa Torlonia, Bunkers of Mussolini, the Jewish catacombs, Villa Massimo, Villa Albani Torlonia, Villa Mirafiori, Villino Crespi, etc…

There are various parks: Villa Torlonia, Villa Paganini, Villa Blanc, etc… For children, there is the TechTown, Il Villaggio dei Galli, etc…

There are two other areas in the center of Rome:

The Jewish quarter where the Ghetto was located with many Kosher restaurants and daily services including the Great Synagogue of Rome, in this are the Kosher restaurants offer pre-paid Shabbat meals.

Shopping area close to the Termini train station and Piazza Repubblica where there is a Ashkenazi shul with daily minyan for Shacharit, in this area there are families that hosts visitors for Shabbat meals.

Shabbat in Rome

For options of Shabbat meals at Chabad, a restaurant, ordering meals or being hosted by a family please visit ShabbatRome.com.

There is no Eruv yet in Rome.

Pesach Seder in Rome

On Pesach Chabad organizes the Pesach Seders and meals during Yom Tov, during the week there are Kosher for Passover restaurants open, the restaurants are Kitniyot and Shruia.

Sukkot in Rome

Chabad has a large Sukkah for all the Yom Tov meals. Flour, Yotvata and Dolce Kosher have a Sukkah. Chabad also erects a Sukkah in Piazza Barberini.

Chanukah in Rome

The Mitzvah is for each person to light the candles in his house, for those that are traveling in Rome the best place is in the room of the hotel, if the hotel doesn’t allow then in a hall of the hotel that is used to have meals.

Chabad lights large Chanukiot during all the nights of Chanukah, in Piazza Barberini at 6 pm and one in Piazza Bologna at 8 pm.

Friday the lighting is anticipated to 3 pm and Motzei Shabbat in Piazza Barberini it’s at 7:30 pm.

The main lightings are the first sunday of Chanukah in Piazza Barberini and Motzei Shabbat in Piazza Bologna and recently during the week there is a lighting at the Colosseum.

Shuls (Synagogues)

Weekday Shacharit is at 7:30 am in almost all Synagogues besides the Spanish Synagogue that starts at 7:00 am.
Weekday Mincha-Arvit is available at the Great Synagogue, Beth Shmuel, Beth El and Beth Shalom at candle lighting time. (During the winter at Beth Shmuel Mincha is usually at 1 pm and Arvit at 8 pm).

There is also Mincha at 2:15 pm between Monday and Thursday at “Hamerkaz” a Chabad in the Center.

Shabbat Shacharit in almost all synagogues is at 9:30 am, Agudat Ashkenazim at 10 am, Great Synagogue 8:30 am, and Spanish Synagogue at 8:00 am.

Selichot in  Spanish Synagogue at 5:00 am followed by Shachrit at 6:50 am. In the Piazza Bologna area in Beth El at 6:30.

Accommodations

Free hospitality is not available, there are Kosher hotels in Rome besides the traditional hotels, these Kosher Bed and Breakfast are usually located in one or more apartments within a building, these hotels usually have a private bathroom, provide a Kosher breakfast (either packaged or from a bakery under the Beit Din of Rome) and provide amenities for Shabbat.

In the area of Piazza Bologna, where Chabad is located, there are various Kosher B&B, there are also traditional hotels that don’t have issues for Shabbat, and you could see here all the hotels that are in the area.

Kosher Food in Rome

The Chabad House could host groups Kosher Mehadrin under the supervision of Rabbi Menachem Lazar.

The Beth Din (Rabbinical Court) of the Jewish Community of Rome led by Chief Rabbi Riccardo Shmuel Disegni certifies all the restaurants as not Mehadrin and not Glatt, you could contact them for any inquire regarding the Kashrut of the restaurants.

Little Tripoli is the only restaurant that is certified Glatt Kosher, you could ask them which Hashghacha they have on the meat.

These are the restaurants we recommend for Kashrut purposes:

Piazza Bologna:

• Little Tripoli (Meat restaurant Glatt, Bishul Israel according to Beit Yosef)
• Flour (Cholov Isroel Bakery and restaurant besides the milk that is added to the coffee)
• Mondo di Laura (Parve Cookie shop)
• Obento (Sushi restaurant, we recommend just the fish sushi, not the chicken)
• Marlen’s (Ice cream shop Chalav Israel)

Jewish Quarter (Ghetto):

• Yotvata (Cholov Isroel restaurant)
• Marlen’s (Ice cream shop Chalav Israel)
• Daruma Sushi (We reccomend just the fish sushi, not the chicken, you need to request that the food cooked on the induction stove should be put on the stove by a frum person)

Also recommended:

• Dolce Kosher (Cholov Isroel restaurant, besides the milk that is added to the coffee)
• Kasher Roma 5778 (All Chalav Israel bakery).

All the restaurant we reccommend have a frum person that lights the fire each day and is present at all times, they not necessarily use tuna that has a hashgacha temidit and is Bishul Israel. The food is cooked as Bishul Israel according to the Rama, for Beit Yosef (Sefaradim) it could be requested when ordering.

In all restaurants, even in the reccommended ones, vegetables are not checked by the mashgichim, we don’t recommend eating any vegetables like artichokes, broccoli, courgette flowers, etc…

The Shabbat meal caterings who could also cater during the week with advanced notice, all are approved by Rabbi Hazan (Chabad).

Kosher gelato Cholov Israel could be purchased at the Kosher Gelato shop. Ice cream without supervision may contain animal fat.

The bread and pastries sold in noncertified stores are usually not Kosher being that most bakeries use lard.

There is no supervision on the milk sold in regular supermarkets, the production of the brand Latte Sano was once checked and approved by the Beis Din of Rome as Kosher Chalav Stam, the other milks could be pastorized in the same machineries that also pastorize whey which renders the milk Cholov Akum. All cheese requires supervision even if you drink Chalav Akum.

Here are two lists of Kosher products that could be found in regular supermarkets (we take no responsibility for the lists, each item has it’s own Hashgocha):

• Kashrut ARI (Assembly of Italian Rabbis) (for explanation click here)
• Kosher Products Facebook Page
• Kosher Products Instagram Page

Mikvah in Rome

There are four women’s mikvahs, an appointment is required.

The Mikva Eliahu Fadlun in Piazza Bologna is the only one Bor al Gabei Bor, it has a section for women, men and utensils, to book an appointment for women please contact us, the mens mikvah is open every morning and every eve of Shabbat and Holiday.

Jewish Tours in Rome

Depending on your budget, we advise that you take a tour guide to learn about the history of Jewish Rome, there are various companies that provide group tours of different areas.

We recommend Roman Jews, a licensed tour guide.

If you don’t want to enter a church, please be advised that the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican Museums and the Pantheon in Piazza della Rotonda, host religious services occasionally. Please be advised that the exit of the Vatican Museums is through the Sistine Chapel, before entering you should ask for an alternative exit.

Dress Code

To attend services and Shabbat meals the dress code should be smart casual or informal, no need of tie.

Directions from the airports

Fiumicino – Leonardo da Vinci airport (FCO)

Piazza Bologna is easly reacheable with the train stopping at Tiburtina, the Ghetto is connected to Termini by bus.

• Taxis should charge 48 euro within the city walls. For jewish drivers click here.
• The shuttle is 15 euro per person.
• The train to Termini is 14 euro and to Tiburtina (for the area of Piazza Bologna) is 8 euro, more information here.
• The bus goes to and from Termini and is 6-7 euro, it runs 24/7, more information here.

Ciampino airport (CIA)

• Taxis should charge 31 euro within the city walls. For jewish drivers click here.
• The bus to Termini is 5-7 euro.