The history of Venice is not all about romantic canals and evocative gothic and renaissance art; it has its not so pleasant moments. The former Jewish quarters centered around Campo del Ghetto Nuovo is regarded as the world's first ghetto - in the original sense of the word (not in its present, crime-and-grime associated context).
This is where the city's Jews were relocated and locked up at night by the dominant Christian population and where they lived under tight rules, although they were allowed to practice their religion. This went on from the late 1500s to until the late 1700s when the Venetian republic fell, after which the Jews were given their freedom to live in other places in the islands. Today, the campo is surrounded by Museum Ebraico (a museum devoted to Jewish religious artifacts), and four synagogues - Schola Canton, Schola Italiana, Schola Levantina, and Schola Spagnola.