Siena Synagogue l — Attraction in Siena

The old Sienna synagogue is small but worth visiting. It looks beautiful despite or because of its years. We were told that its congregation is 95% Sephardic, and it certainly looks different from Ashkenazic synagogues we have seen. It is grand in its own modest way, but not ostentatious. Crouched down a narrow alley near the centre, it has the look of a proud but not imposing religious building that sets into relief Italy’s long Jewish presence. We hear there is a Hebrew calligraphy shop nearby, but we were not there when...

I can’t really rate the synagogue as it is still closed for renovations. It would be nice if that was updated on Google and the other platforms that list the synagogue as a point of interest, including their website. We walked from Il Campo following Google maps and went right past the synagogue not realizing that the construction was theirs. We backtracked and found a big sign that says they are under renovation. How...

Attached sign says it is open until 17:30. Came at 16:45 for the last entrance, as written, and a lady came out and told me it is closed now. I noted that the sign says otherwise, and she replied with the unbelievably ignorant response "they were wrong". I asked who are "they" exactly, as she works there and the sign is printed on a simple paper, but go only "it is closed, come back if you want". Well, I don't,...