The Campiello di Este is a small historic nucleus located near the former Church of San Michele. In the city's memory, it is remembered as the “Ghetto of the Jews,” as it housed the local Jewish community between 1665 and 1770, confined in a neighborhood enclosed by walls and the Bisatto canal following a provision of the Republic of Venice.
The area, characterized by popular housing, gradually developed between the 16th and 18th centuries, becoming an important transit and landing point along the canal. It still preserves significant historical evidence, such as buildings overlooking the Bisatto, traces of ancient porticos, and proximity to the Church of San Michele and Palazzo Barbarigo.
After the disappearance of the Jewish community, probably during the Napoleonic era, the neighborhood was inhabited by poor families, so much so that it was remembered as the “ghetto of misery.” In 1976, the collapse of part of the historic buildings led to the demolition of a large part of the original complex.
Today, Campiello represents a precious testimony to the social, urban, and multicultural history of Este, linked both to the Jewish presence and the evolution of the city's popular neighborhoods.
