Bologna's Synagogue - Hard to Find, Well-protected

The experience of finding the synagogue in Bologna, in the dark, on Shabbat, was one that we hadn't met yet. It was the Comunita Ebraica di Bologna. Difficult to find in the evening, it was a surprise to be asked questions to get in, told to leave the backpack in the anti-room, and see armed guards out front and in the back of the building. Once inside there was a pleasant and small group of people studying Torah and celebrating the Sabbath. We went on another day and walked by in the light of
day. The guards were still there and the only sign that this building was a synagogue was a Star of David viewable at the back of the building, in the alley, and Hebrew at the front door threshold.

Note the Star of David on the peach-colored building