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Three
and a half centuries of neglect and maltreatment
were finally reversed in October 1999 with
the completion of the comprehensive restoration
of the Ancient Jewish Cemetery on the Lido,
first established in 1386. Unused since
the end of the 18th century, when the "new"
cemetery was opened, the old burial ground
had become overgrown with vegetation and
overcrowded with tombstones, many of them
randomly scattered and broken. The recent
work, financed jointly by public authorities
and a consortium of Private Committees led
by Save Venice inc. and including the World
Monuments fund, the Venice in Peril Fund
and the Comitato per il Centro Storico Ebraico
di Venezia, involved the drainage, excavation,
and raising of a large marshy area, the
restoration and partial resiting of hundreds
of stones, many dating from the 16th and
17th centuries, and the gradual restoration
of the plants. The Cemetery is now open
to the public every Sunday and on certain
other days by arrangement through the Jewish
Museum in the Ghetto. |
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