The Virtual Jewish History Tour   By Stephanie Persin  A Jewish
community has been present in Italy since the Maccabeans
traveled to the area in 161 B.C.E. Until the 13th century C.E.,
Jews lived relatively peacefully in Rome. After the second
crusade, however, treatment of Jews began to deteriorate. It was
at this time that Jews began to travel from Rome to less
populated areas such as the region of Emilia-Romagna.  Emilia-
Romagna is north of both Rome and Florence, two cities that
housed the largest Jewish populations at the time. Only a
moderate number of Jews immigrated to Emilia-Romagna during the
13th century.  The Jewish population in the area greatly
increased during the Spanish expulsion of the 1400s. Christians
of Emilia-Romagna accepted the Jews because of their experience
in banking. At that time, the church discouraged Christians from
lending money, leaving the banking profession solely in the
hands of the Jews. Jewish printing houses also existed in cities
such as Bologna. In fact, a Bologna pri