Easter is one of the most popular times to visit the Italian countryside, where the traditional Tuscan Easter celebrations dominate the scenery and the soul. This spectacular week-long celebration of Italian beliefs and culture is both dramatic and old-fashioned. Festivities, traditions, and even recipes date back hundreds of years, and even the smallest details are symbolically meaningful.
Holy Thursday
To begin the festivities, the many churches of Florence and surrounding hill towns throw open their doors to visitors. Both inside the city and without, churches of every size elaborately decorate their altars with flowers, which are stripped on Good Friday and replaced with a cross on a pillow, symbolic of Jesus Christ’s death. In Lucca, the Processione dei Crocioni on Holy Thursday in the Castiglione di Garfagnana is a powerful reenactment of the last few hours of Christ’s life, featuring an anonymous man dressed as Jesus carrying a cross through the tiny streets.
Good Friday
Several religious processionals pass through the streets of Tuscan cities on Good Friday, when locals dress in historic costumes and bear statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus on their shoulders. In the evening, plan to visit Grassina, near Florence, for a 300-year-old Easter Passion Play showing a dramatic re-enactment of Christ’s crucifixion, with narration and music.
Easter Sunday
On Sunday morning Easter Mass will be celebrated in the Cathedral of Siena, il Duomo. In Florence, following mass in the Cathedral, witness the traditional folkloric event of the Explosion of the Cart, a fireworks display over two stories tall. After the festivities, enjoy a time-honored Easter Feast of roasted lamb, spring peas, colomba (sweet Easter bread), vinsanto (dessert wine), and chocolate.
Easter Monday
Pasquetta, the Monday following Easter, is a national holiday celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Traditional celebrations include a leisurely picnic in the countryside with loved ones. Pack a basket with pecorino cheese, prosciutto, bread, olives and your favorite local chianti. For a special treat include the traditional colorfully-wrapped chocolate covered eggs which hide little treasures inside. Bring a bocce ball set for some friendly competition following your meal. Ask your concierge to direct you to his favorite pastoral setting or explore on your own until you find a grove of olive or lemon trees to spread your blanket beneath for an afternoon.
More Tuscan Easter Activities:
Arrange a guided tour of the Medieval hill towns nearby. In San Gimignano, walk down the Via Francigena, a pilgrimage route that stretches from Canterbury in England all the way to Rome. Monteriggioni is a charming village encircled by centuries old walls, from which you will enjoy gorgeous views of the Italian countryside. Pitigliano hosts Festa della Farina Dolce on Easter Monday, where you can sample sweet treats such as Polenta Dolce, Frittelle Dolci, and Necci. If you have time, visit the province of Arezzo, to see the beautiful treasures of the ancient gold-smiths and the fairy-tale castles still cherished by the locals.
If the weather is sunny, put on some good walking shoes for a stroll through the medieval square Piazza del Campo in Siena (called ‘il Campo’ by the locals) and see the white marble Fonte Gaia. Just a short walk through winding streets will take you to Piazza del Mercato, located behind the City Hall, where an open-air market is held on Wednesday mornings, and antiques are sold on Sundays. On Easter Monday, a celebratory market runs all day beginning at 9:00am. Stop for lunch at Gino Cacino Alimentari for a panini and a glass of wine. This market is worth a visit for the view alone: a sweeping panorama across the valley toward the vineyards.
*Originally written for Cuvee Magazine
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