At the end of the 1400s, following their expulsion from Spain, the number of Hebrews in Venice increased so much that on 29 March 1516 the Senate decided to confine them in small portion of Cannaregio. This is the first ghetto in Europe, whose name seems to derive from getto, the metal casting of the local foundries. For three centuries, until 1797, the Hebrews were segregated in this area, building, for the first time in Venice, buildings as tall as seven floors, exploiting height since it was impossible to expand the inhabited area. Divided into three areas (Ghetto vecchio, Ghetto Nuovo and Nuovissimo), it is still the seat of the Jewish community with its schools and the Museum of Jewish Art.