Modena. The Jewish ghetto in the current historic center was separated. Jews came in large numbers from Ferrara. In fact, in 1492, the rulers of unified Spain, Ferdinand and Isabella, issued an edict expelling all Jews from the country. Jews had already been living in separate ghettos since at least 1480, to prevent their mixing with the rest of the population. Since France and England were also closed to Jews, many went to Portugal, North Africa, Turkey, and Italy, particularly Naples, Rome, and Ferrara. From there, after the annexation to the Papal States, they were transferred to Modena, where the Jewish ghetto was established in 1633.
