If you ever happen to be in Italy for Easter, you won’t see the cagey bunny or enjoy an Easter egg hunt. However, Easter in Italy is a huge, festive holiday, second only to Christmas in its importance for Italians. While the days leading up to Easter include solemn processions and masses, Pasqua is a joyous celebration marked with rituals and traditions and lots of family. La Pasquetta, the Monday after Easter Sunday, is also a public holiday throughout the country and is a day when friends gather together.

The week before Easter known as Holy Week, is one of the most sacred times of year for Catholics everywhere. In Italy, this solemn time is called La Settimana Santa and is marked with ancient processions that commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On Thursday—known as either Holy or Maundy Thursday—church bells are silenced and not rung until Easter Sunday, and many churches recreate the Last Supper through ceremonial foot washing. Holy Week’s most somber day—recognized as a national holiday—is Good Friday, the day of Jesus’ crucifixion.

On Good Friday, the pope celebrates the Via Crucis, or Stations of the Cross, in Rome near the Colosseum. A huge cross with burning torches lights the sky as the stations of the cross are described in several languages, and the pope gives a blessing at the end. Easter mass is held in every church in Italy, with the biggest and most popular celebrated by the pope at Saint Peter’s Basilica.  If you every plan to attend you are advised to try to secure tickets a year in advance.

Solemn religious processions are held in Italian cities and towns on the Friday or Saturday before Easter and sometimes on Easter Sunday. Many churches have special statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus that may be paraded through the city or displayed in the main square or piazza.Participants are often dressed in traditional ancient costumes, and olive branches are frequently used instead of palm fronds (which are scarce in Italy) in the processions and to decorate churches.

Sicily has elaborate and dramatic processions. Enna holds a large event on Good Friday, with about 2,000 friars dressed in ancient costumes walking through the streets of the city. Trapani is another interesting place to see processions, held for several days during Holy Week. The Good Friday procession there, Misteri di Trapani, lasts 24 hours.

What’s believed to be the oldest Good Friday procession in Italy is in Chieti in the Abruzzo region; it’s very moving and somber with Secchi’s “Miserere” beautifully played by 100 violins.

Some towns, such as Montefalco and Gualdo Tadino in Umbria, hold live passion plays during the night of Good Friday. Others put on plays acting out the stations of the Cross. Beautiful torchlight processions are held in Umbria in hill towns such as Orvieto and Assisi.

In Florence, Easter is celebrated with the Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart). A huge, decorated wagon used since the 18th century is dragged through Florence by white oxen until it reaches the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore in the historic center. After mass, the archbishop sends a dove-shaped rocket into the fireworks-filled cart, creating a spectacular display. A parade of performers in medieval costumes follows after.

                                                               EASTER FOODS 

Since Easter is the end of the Lenten season—which requires sacrifice, abstinence and restraint—food plays a big part in the celebrations. Traditional holiday foods across Italy may include lamb or goat, artichokes, and special Easter breads that vary from region to region. Pannetone a sweet bread and Colomba  a dove-shaped bread are often given as gifts, as are hollow chocolate eggs that usually come with a surprise inside.  (All of these are available at E. 48thStreet Market in Dunwoody.)

                                               EASTER MONDAY IN ITALY 

                                                            La Pasquetta

On Easter Monday, some cities hold dances, free concerts, or unusual games, often involving eggs. In the Umbrian hill town of Panicale, cheese is the star. Ruzzolone is played by rolling huge wheels of cheese, weighing about 4 kilos, around the village walls. The object is to get your cheese around the course using the fewest number of strokes. Following the cheese contest, there is a band in the piazza—and wine, of course.

In Tuscany, a whole roast leg of lamb is the traditional centerpiece of an Easter feast accompanied by many vegetables fresh and fried, fava-bean crostini, sauteed artichokes and other signs of spring.  Of course, there will be several desserts all enjoyed with a bit of Vin Santo . And we are fortunate indeed to have a bottle of home-made Vin Santo given to us by my cousin Andrea Sandroni during one of our visits to Montefollonico and I treasure it.

Two Traditional Recipes

PASTIERRA di GRANO – Easter Wheat Pie

It is believed that this dessert dates back to pagan times when ancient Neapolitans would offer all the fruits of their land to the Mermaid Partenope in spring – eggs for fertility, wheat from the land, ricotta from the shepherds, the aroma of orange flowers, vanilla to symbolize faraway countries and sugar in honor of the sweet mermaid. It is said the mermaid would take all these ingredients, immerse herself in the sea of the Bay of Naples and give back to the Neapolitans a dessert, which symbolized fertility and rebirth in Greek mythology. The recipe as we know it today was realized by Neapolitan convents, and nuns would make it for rich nobles of the area.

I’m sure there as many versions as there are regions. We still make a version at home as I am fairly sure it is still made in many homes today, as well as bought in pastry shops. In most homes Easter wouldn’t be Easter without a Pastierra  dessert, however, it is delicious to eat at any time. Wheat sounds a strange ingredient, but it really is delicious, especially with the delicate flavor of orange-flower water. Precooked wheat is obtainable from Italian food stores and orange-flower water can nowadays be found in supermarkets. (These items are also available at E. 48^th Street Market)

3 Lbs RICOTTA – whole milk, well drained	1 TB VANILLA
9 EGGS – lightly beaten	½ LB RAW WHEAT – cooked, cooled, drained
2 ½ TSPS CINNAMON – or to taste	¾ CUP SUGAR
3 TSPS ORANGE ZEST – freshly grated	1 OZ ORANGE FLOWER WATER

Beat sugar and eggs until the sugar is dissolved and the eggs are slightly creamy. Add the ricotta, orange zest, cinnamon, orange flower water, vanilla and stir in the wheat without mashing. 

PASTA FROLLA

2 CUPS FLOUR – sifted	2 EGGS – extra large
¼ CUP SUGAR	1 EGG – beaten with a little water for glazing
2 TSPS BAKING POWDER
¼ LB (1 stick) BUTTER – cubed

Beat eggs, adding 1 drop of water. Put dry ingredients into processor and add butter, a little at a time, slowly and process until it resembles corn meal. Pour eggs slowly into the mixture with the processor on and process until it pulls away from the sides and a ball forms.

Let it rest for about 10 minutes under a greased bowl for a while or if not using for a while, refrigerate in the bowl.

Roll out the dough and fit into a 10-inch pie pan. Flute the edges, trim and save the scraps to make a lattice top. Pour the filling into the pie shell and place lattice strips across the top. Brush the lattice strips and pie edge with the beaten egg. Bake at 325º for 1 hour in a Pyrex pie pan or at 350º for 1 hour in a metal pan.

NOTE: This is a very typical Easter dessert but delicious at any time.

PASTIERRA di ARANCIA

Orange Pastierra

CRUST

4 cups flour

1 cup sugar

2 tsps baking powder

4 large eggs

1 stick unsalted butter – melted

½ cup whole milk

1 additional stick unsalted butter – room temp

FILLING

2 cups sugar

3 lbs whole milk ricotta

1 cup heavy cream

14 large eggs

5 tsps vanilla extract

2 cups cooked Arborio rice – 

grated zest of 1 large orange

First make the crust:  Place the flour, sugar, baking powder, 4 eggs, melted butter and milk in a large of electric mixer and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes until smooth.

Lightly butter a 10 X 15-inch baking dish.  Press the dough into the bottom and up the sides of the dish as evenly as possible.  Set aside.  

Note:  if your kitchen is very warm refrigerate the pan until the filling is ready.

Next make the filling:  Preheat the oven to 350º.  Beat the butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until combined for 3-4 minutes.  Add the ricotta, heavy cream, eggs and vanilla and continue beating until all are fully incorporated, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula several times.  Fold in the rice and orange zest with the spatula.

Pour the filling over the prepared crust and bake until the edges are golden brown and set but the center is still a little jiggly – 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours 15 minutes.  Let cool thoroughly before slicing.

Wishing all of our Friends and Loyal Customers

Happy and Blessed Pasqua

Charlie, Anita, Andrea, Claudia

The Augello Family

The E. 48^th Street Market Staff

God Bless America

Remember Our Troops

and All Who Serve to Keep Us Free