Jewish Rome Comes Alive with Micaela Pavoncello's Walking Tours

(Micaela Pavoncello, pictured above, leads tours of Jewish Rome, including the historic ghetto)

For a taste of Rome with a Jewish flavor, Micaela Pavoncello, a Roman native loves her city dearly and seems to know every nook and cranny, leads personal tours of "Jewish Roma."

Both Pavoncello's father and mother are Jewish. Her father proudly traces his Roman lineage back to Cesar's time, while her mother is a Sephardic Jew with Libyan roots.

(Pavoncello with a group of visitors on her tour stop at a Roman fountain)

"I have lived in Rome my entire life, not including the year I spent in Argentina and another year in Israel," she says.

"Traveling has given me the opportunity to meet other Jews, share my story with them, and compare my community with theirs and other communities.

"Throughout my time as a guide, while meeting people along my journey, I have come to realize how miraculous the existence of the Jewish Community of Rome really is. Now I would like to share my story and experiences with you!"

(Pavoncello with some Roman friends she introduces to tour participants)

According to Pavoncello, the first Jews in Rome came directly from Israel in 160 B. C. It was Chanukah and the Maccabees decided to travel as ambassadors to Rome in order to ask for protection from the Romans against the Syrian King Antiochus.

Pavoncello's tours include "The Ghetto of Rome," "Ostia Antica Synagogue," "Roman Forum and Titus Arch," and a number of "kid friendly tours," including "My Rome," "Coliseum and Palatinum," and the "Jewish Vatican Tour."

Of the ghetto in Rome, Pavoncello notes that Roman Jews have been living in this area of the city for 22 centuries, "giving birth to the only Jewish community to be present always in the same place before the Diaspora."

(Pavoncello with a participant on a tour of the Jewish ghetto of Rome)

The ghetto tour includes a stop at a kosher bakery to taste Pizza Giudia, while Pavoncello also introduces participants to other Jews and teaches a bit of Judaico Romanesco.

(Visiting Rome's kosher bakery in the ghetto for a tasty treat)

The tour of the Ostia Antica Synagogue, discovered in 1961, is led by an American archaeologist who has devoted his life to the study of Romnan and Etruscan sites.

The Roman Forum and Titus Arch tour recalls the victory of the emperors Vespasian and Titus in Judea in 70 C.E., which led to the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem.

As an art historian, Pavoncello knows her city exceedingly well and can tailor tours in her Rome selection tours.

(Pavoncello's knowledge of art history is an important ingredient of her tours)

The Coliseum and Palatinum tour is led by the same American archaeologist who leads the Ostia Antica Synagogue tour, while the Jewish Vatican tour includes a broad range of Vatican sites, as well as the Lapidario Ebraico, the archive of the first Roman Jews.

(Pavoncello stops to chat with a survivor from Auschwitz and a man whose father was killed by the Nazis. The men share their wartime experiences with visitors)

For more information about Pavoncello's tours, including prices and length of each tour, visit www.JewishRoma.com, or email info@JewishRoma.com. You can also call + 39-328-8638128.