Easter in Italy: a journey to discover traditions

It's almost time for Easter, which this year falls on Sunday 31 March. It represents a moment to immerse yourself in religious traditions and savor regional delicacies, but also an opportunity to reunite with your loved ones and disconnect from the daily grind.

According to research by Booking.com, the online platform for booking travel and accommodation, two Italian capitals appear among the ten most popular destinations this year globally: Rome, in fourth place, therefore in the top 5, and Milan , on the tenth. Other popular destinations are also Naples and Florence. According to the global flight comparison search engine, Skyscanner, the same destinations are among the travel trends carried out by Italians.

If you still don't know where to spend this party, Visceglia helps you choose your ideal destination. Italy offers splendid places, a perfect combination of nature, art and culture, but also good food and good wine.

Visiting Rome during the Easter period, for example, means experiencing a religious climate unique in the world: on Good Friday, in fact, one of the most important events of Easter in Italy takes place, namely the Via Crucis, the Catholic procession with which the last hours of the life of Jesus. Against the evocative backdrop of a nocturnal Rome, the Pope celebrates the commemoration in a journey of fourteen stations in the Colosseum area. Easter in Rome, however, is also synonymous with culinary delicacies: on Easter morning, it is customary to set the table for a rich breakfast, based on salami, boiled eggs, chocolate eggs and grown pizza, the typical sweet recipe made exclusively in this period, with the unmistakable scent of cinnamon.

Speaking of Easter desserts, we cannot fail to mention the colomba, the typical sweet recipe from Lombardy. According to legend, it was born as early as 570 AD, following the siege of the barbarians led by King Alboin, to whom the population of Pavia gave a sweet bread in the shape of a dove, as a sign of peace. Another legend traces its birth back to 1176 in Lombardy, when the municipalities of the Lombard League defeated Emperor Frederick Barbarossa in battle. Shortly before, two doves would have landed on the League's insignia and this would have been interpreted as a sign by the captain, who commissioned the bakers to make sweet breads in the shape of a dove. If the choice of destination falls on Milan, a stop in one of the city's historic pastry shops to taste the delicious dessert is a must.

Naples is famous for its culinary traditions: there are various typical Easter dishes, which form a rich menu for all tastes. If Holy Thursday is dedicated to fish, with mussel soup, and Friday is fasted, on Holy Saturday you can taste casatielli, torteni or stuffed pizzas. On Sunday, however, there is a real banquet, based on soup, baked lamb or kid with potatoes and, last but not least, wheat pastiera.

Art enthusiasts, however, cannot help but choose Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, as their destination: the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore, Giotto's Bell Tower and the Baptistery of San Giovanni are just some of the artistic beauties of this city. Furthermore, on Easter Sunday, it is also possible to take part in the famous Brindellone explosion, the secular-religious event that takes place in the historic center of Florence, where a decorated float parades, which is set on fire by a dove-shaped rocket, the Colombina, lit by the archbishop of the city. A real fireworks display that leaves everyone speechless.

These are just some of the destinations that can be reached during the Easter holidays. All that remains is to plan your trip by packing one of our geographical maps of Italy.

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