Benjamin of Tudela was a Jew from Sepharad, now Spain. His journey most likely began sometime in the mid-1160s, though exact dates are debated upon. Benjamin of Tudela’s travels took him through Europe, Asia, and Africa over the course of about eight years, and he wrote an account of his experiences, which has been published as The Itinerary of Benjamin of Tudela and remained a well-known account of travel in the Middle Ages since the 12th century. In this excerpt, Benjamin travels to Rome. This is early in his travels; he began in his home town of Saragossa, and traveled from the Iberian Peninsula to France, stopping in several cities, the last of which was Marseilles. From Marseilles he takes a ship to Genoa, Italy, then from Genoa to Pisa, Lucca, and finally Rome. It’s unclear how much time he spends in each place before moving on. Benjamin does not often describe much about logistics, simply that it takes this or that amount of time to get from one place to the next. He often doesn’t specify what mode of transportation he used, though does mention taking ships in a few cases, such as from Marseilles to Genoa.

Benjamin describes Rome as the seat of Christianity, though it contains about 200 Jews who “occupy an honourable position and pay no tribute.” He writes that there are great Jewish scholars in Rome who live alongside the Christians, and even some who are officials of the Pope. He notes several individuals by name, various rabbis and respected scholars of Judaism. Benjamin’s travel account focuses mostly on Jewish culture, monuments, and people. At most locations, he makes note of the most important scholars and leaders who reside there, the size of the Jewish community, and the state of the community and its privileges (or lack thereof). He does not talk as much about the native populations outside of his own people.

While the previous cities have only taken up a few paragraphs each, he spends the better part of two pages describing the city of Rome. He describes St. Peter’s, the palaces of emperors including Caesar, the Colosseum, and many ruins which were already ancient by the 12th century. He seems to take a particular interest in art and architecture, as well as Jewish and Christian legends and landmarks. He references some stories of old battles fought in the city, and of the catacombs of a King Tarmal Galsin; the only reference I could find to this king is in the Itinerary, so perhaps this was a myth he was told by a local, or a name he misspelled of an existing figure. Another story he describes is about the Church of St. John the Lateran, which contained two columns taken from the Temple. The Roman Jews tell him that once a day every year the columns exude water. He clearly enjoyed his time in Rome, and he finishes his descriptions of the city by saying that it is full of “remarkable sights beyond enumeration.”

The Hebrew introduction to the compiled travel writings of Benjamin of Tudela appears to have been added after his death, but by people who were familiar with him. The author(s) praise him as a wise, understanding, and learned man, and say that “wherever we have tested his statements we have found them accurate, true to fact and consistent; for he is a trustworthy man.” It’s impossible to know how they “tested” his statements and if Benjamin of Tudela’s writings are entirely accurate, but it seems that he was a well-respected man in his own community. Also according to the introduction, Benjamin was creating a record of “stories and sights unknown in the land of Sepharad (Spain), which he brought back with him on his return to Castile.” The purpose of his account may have been simply to bring knowledge of far-away places to his homeland, perhaps hoping for Spanish Jews in his community to use his writings to learn more about the world. It could have also served as a sort of guide for Jewish travelers who wished to know what places were safe and which families and scholars lived in certain kingdoms and cities.