Easter Traditions in Italy

Take an emotional journey across Italy to discover how Italians celebrate not just Easter Sunday but all the other holidays that fall into the passionate nine-day Holy Week. Easter season is a major event in Italy. We'll see that different regions celebrate their most heartfelt holiday of the year with distinct and varied traditions and culinary tastes. We'll cover a panorama of centuries-old traditions from street processions to holy representations to religious rites, as cities from Florence to Naples to Trapani, Sicily bring out thousands of people to participate in their springtime festivities and folkloristic events.  What do Italians do on Palm Sunday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, Easter Sunday and the bonus Easter Monday? What classic sweet cakes and dolci are baked in which regions? What’s inside the huge chocolate eggs in every store window? What do Italians eat for lunch on Easter Sunday and Passover? And why are there bonfires, witches and demons still hanging around from the pagan past? We’ll explore the colorful springtime sights, sounds, tastes and traditions in festive villages and piazzas across Italy in search of the most fascinating - and surprising - examples of passion and devotion.