MEIS – Museo nazionale dell'ebraismo italiano e della Shoah

About the museum

MEIS was established by Law no. 91 of April 2003 and is housed in the former prison on Via Piangipane in Ferrara. The building, constructed between 1908 and 1912 and in use from 1912, served as a judicial prison until its closure in 1992; during the Fascist period and in 1943 anti-fascists, Jews and opponents were detained there, among them the writer Giorgio Bassani. In 2007 the building was transferred from the State property office (demanio) to the Ministero per i Beni e le Attività Culturali as the seat of the museum.

The entrance building, housing the offices of the MEIS Foundation, was inaugurated in December 2011; the main building opened on 14 December 2017 with the exhibition “Ebrei, una storia italiana. I primi mille anni” (Jews, an Italian history: the first thousand years). The project preserves the men’s cell block, stripped of its doors, bars and walkway, and envisages five new buildings inspired by the five books of the Torah.

Today the permanent exhibition “Ebrei, una storia italiana” results from the merger of three displays and tells the history of Italian Judaism from the Roman age to the age of the ghettos, with finds, loaned works, reproductions and multimedia content. The route also includes “1938, l’umanità negata”, the multimedia show “Con gli occhi degli ebrei italiani” (Through the eyes of Italian Jews) and the Giardino delle Domande (Garden of Questions), an outdoor space with plants mentioned in the Bible and a plant labyrinth on Jewish dietary rules.

Key themes

• Permanent exhibition “Ebrei, una storia italiana”
• “1938, l’umanità negata”
• Multimedia show “Con gli occhi degli ebrei italiani”
• Giardino delle Domande
• Former prison on Via Piangipane with the cell block

Permanent exhibitions

• Ebrei, una storia italiana – Route through the history of Italian Judaism from the Roman age to the age of the ghettos.
• 1938, l'umanità negata – Permanent exhibition on the racial laws of 1938, with an installation by Dani Karavan.
• Giardino delle Domande – Outdoor space with plants mentioned in the Bible and a plant labyrinth on Jewish dietary rules.

Founded

2003

Operated by

Fondazione MEIS (Ministero della Cultura)

Visitors per year

approx. 50,000

Admission & discounts

Free admission also for journalists and tourist guides with an ID card, ICOM members, staff of the Ministero della Cultura, members of the armed forces in uniform and holders of the MyFe card. The ticket includes the exhibition route, the Giardino delle Domande, the multimedia show and the exhibition “1938, l’umanità negata”. Tickets are bought online; groups must book. Agreements with various bodies are in place.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom: no information
• Accessible parking: no information
• Service dogs welcome
• Tactile models & exhibits
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials
• Audio description: no information

The museum is accessible to pushchairs and to people with reduced mobility, without architectural barriers. For deaf people an accessibility sheet is available to download; for partially sighted people tactile sheets and trained guides are provided, introduced progressively. At the ticket office the augmentative and alternative communication guide “I ❤️ my MEIS” is available. Guide dogs and certified assistance dogs are admitted.

Kids & families

• Stroller-friendly

The museum has teaching rooms and programmes for schools, with free visits and activities for schools in the 2026/2027 school year; there are no specific family routes, but there is a reduced family rate.

Getting there & parking

Much of the centre is closed to traffic. Car parks and bicycle hire are available near the museum in Ferrara. The museum can be reached on foot from the Jewish ghetto, the walls, the cathedral, the Castello Estense and the Parco Massari.

Amenities & dining

• Café: not available
• Museum shop
• Coat check

Free cloakroom for backpacks, suitcases and bags larger than 40x35x15 cm, umbrellas, sticks and the like. Bookshop with books and other material. Vending machine; a restaurant and café are planned for the future, with no date. Library available for consultation on site on request.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit