Book as much as you can well in advance.Here’s what I’d suggest if your trip overlaps with Easter in Italy. Personally, I love seeing places when they’re in the midst of celebrating something – anything – but if you’re not expecting said celebration, it can be headache-inducing. Then, if it does, you need to decide what to do about that. Traveling in Italy During Easter: What You Need to Knowįirst things first, you should check on the calendar of Italian holidays to see if your trip coincides with any of the Easter celebrations. There are Pasquetta games, too, such as the Palio dell’Uovo – Palio of the Egg – in Tredozio (including a hard-boiled-egg-eating contest and an egg-themed obstacle course of sorts) and the race in Panciale involving local contestants rolling wheels of cheese around the city walls. Not everyone gets out of town, though, as some cities organize special events or concerts on Easter Monday. There’s an Italian saying, “Natale con i suoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi,” which means “Christmas with your relatives, Easter with who you want.” Easter Sunday is still typically spent with family, but Easter Monday is when Italians – especially younger generations who don’t have kids – hang out with their friends.Īssuming the weather is nice, Pasquetta is an excellent excuse to pack a picnic and head into the country with your pals. That literally translates to “little Easter,” but it’s more appropriately known as “Easter Monday.” The following day is also a national holiday, which is known as Pasquetta (pronounced pahs|KWEH|tah). The festivities don’t end on Easter Sunday in Italy. Pasquetta || creative commons photo by Michele Federico Yes, Easter can be a somber holiday in Italy, but in Florence it’s a time for explosions, apparently. A dove-shaped rocket flies out of the Duomo after the services and lands on a wooden cart that’s been arranged in the square, lighting it on fire and setting off the fireworks that adorn it. Perhaps the most interesting Easter celebration in Italy – at least that I’ve heard about – is in Florence. Peter’s Square in the morning ( rain or shine!), followed by the Pope’s annual “Urbi et Orbi” speech at noon. Some of the eggs are large enough they could be hiding a small child, but I don’t think that’s what they’re designed for.Įaster in the Vatican is, of course, a grand affair, with a huge mass in St. There is, I’m afraid, no Easter Bunny in Italy – but there is chocolate in abundance, particularly in the form of large chocolate eggs that have prizes hidden inside. Traditional dishes eaten at Easter include artichokes, roast lamb, and a sweet holiday bread called “Colomba,” which means “dove” in Italian (it’s supposed to be the shape of a flying dove). Some of the most well-known are the Good Friday processions – including the “Stations of the Cross” in Rome, led by the pope one in the Sicilian town of Enna, with thousands of white-hooded friars carrying statues of Jesus and the Virgin Mary and the oldest religious procession in Italy in the Abruzzo town of Chieti, also with thousands of hooded brothers and followed by a marching orchestra and choir performing the “Miserere.”Įaster – which is Pasqua in Italian, pronoucned PAHS|kwah – is marked by services in churches throughout the country, as well as a big meal enjoyed at home with family. Holy Week begins the Sunday before, on Palm Sunday, and there are religious services and processions throughout the week leading up to Easter. Peter’s Square || creative commons photo by Jon ConnellĮaster Sunday is a big deal in Italy, but it doesn’t start there.
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