Italy / Piedmont

Asti

Synagogue of Asti © Wikimedia Commons (Flll)

The synagogue of this administrative center is unique for two reasons. First, its liturgy is special: called astigiano in Italian and Appam in Hebrew, its language is named after the initials of the three small towns where it is still actively spoken (Asti, Fossano, Moncalvo). Annie Sacerdoti and Luca Fiorentino note in their Guida all’ Italia Ebraica (Guide to Jewish Italy) that it is a combination of Ashkenazic worship and the old provincial liturgy brought to the city by Jews of German and French origin. Second, the plan of this synagogue is unusual. The location of the tevah under a central dome supported by four columns is unique in Italy and is directly inspired by temples constructed in Bohemia and Hungary during the same period.