ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines the topography and characteristics of the most important Jewish settlements in Italy. They are examined through the dialectic between territorial rootedness and mobility, the latter being owed to expulsions, revocation of condotte, or changes in local political relations. Extended family and commercial networks also represent one of the specific traits of the history of the Italian settlements. These networks served as a fabric of support and protection. Among the different communities analyzed the little known settlement at Ancona stands out as an emblematic example of what has been called “intercultural commerce”. Also notable are Ferrara, a tolerant and “marrano” city; the exceptional cases of Livorno and Pisa, two cities with Jews but no ghetto; and Venice, the cosmopolitan capital that gave rise to the first ghetto in 1516, and was the center of the production and trade of Hebrew books: a competitive business that was firmly in Christian hands. The economic, political, and diplomatic planning and initiative shown by the different communities fully refutes the long-standing stereotype of the Jews as resigned and passive victims.
