The museum is located in a medieval building, which now presents itself as a late 16th – 17th century palazzo. It encompasses the remains of a 15th century synagogue, which was right in the centre of the Jewish district in Lecce. Visitors to the museum can see the pools that in all likelihood were once used for ritual bathing (mikwa’ot), the doorpost groove that housed the sacred parchment with religious verses from the Scriptures (mezuzah), as well as significant remains of the church that later partially incorporated the earlier synagogue. Visitors are invited to follow the threads linking the Jewish presence in Lecce from the Middle Ages to the present; the legacy of Apulian Judaism visible within other communities of the diaspora, as well as the threads linking Judaism with other faith communities in and around Lecce. We also provide themed tours for tourists interested in discovering the history of the Jewish presence in Apulia.

Once a Greek orthodox monastery, then the centre of a farm, this notable example of Puglian Romanesque architecture now tells the tale of its two previous lives – one religious, the other agricultural.