The settlement of a Jewish community in Bertinoro dates back to the late 14th century. A document from 1419 mentions a house owned by a man named Leone, a Jew, located between what are now Via Mainardi and Via Fossato. The central building of the Giudecca, dating to the mid-15th century, is built of brick and stone blocks: on the façade, the areas once used as family dwellings are still visible.

At the corner between Via Fossato and Via Mainardi, on the eastern side, terracotta plaques can still be seen, decorated with cornucopias and with the lamp of the Ner Tamid, the symbol of eternal light found in synagogues. These elements also served as indicators for the community, marking the presence of the Aron ha-Qodesh, the sacred ark that housed the Sefer Torah. It is likely that the synagogue of the community was located on this very side.

Descending from Piazza della Libertà, one enters the medieval village of the Mainardi family, one of Bertinoro’s noble lineages, and at the corner of Via Fossato stands the Giudecca palace, from which the entire district developed.

It was precisely in this period, in the mid-15th century, that Ovadyah Yare—known as the “Bertinoro”—was born. He became one of the most important commentators on the Mishnah, the foundational text of the Jewish tradition after the Torah. His life and scholarship remained closely connected to the village and to the cultural heritage of the city.