The Giudecca – the largest of the islands of Venice and the nearest to the historic centre – owes its name, according to some, to very early settlement by a Jewish community, as demonstrated by the existence of two synagogues, now demolished, and by the discovery of a stone with a Jewish inscription in the area near the Zitelle. According to others, the name derives from the term zudegà (adjudged) that refers to a sentence issued in the 9th century by which concessions of terrain were made to certain families banned from Venice and then recalled from exile. The southern part of the island in olden times was the green area of the Giudecca, with market gardens and flower gardens where the Venetian nobles would take their leisure in summer and autumn.