How to spend Easter 2023 in Rome: Easter lunch; Chocolate Eggs and Colombe; Holy Week
Keep the whole family entertained over the Easter holidays with our roundup of the best things to do during Easter 2023 in Rome: from the traditional Easter breakfast and lunch, the exchange of chocolate eggs, and tuning in on Holy Mass.
As you may have noticed, religious celebrations besides being deeply rooted in Italians’ traditions, are also deeply rooted in the Italians’ hearts. Surely, Easter is among the most loved ones. Its celebration extends over one entire week, the Holy Week, during which families reunite, attend various religious events, and enjoy big meals together.
Whether you are celebrating Easter with your family, friends, or alone, we are happy to tell you that there is a lot you can do here in Rome on Easter. The city and its nearby towns offer many opportunities to discover old celebrations and local traditional foods.
Traditional Easter lunch in Rome
After the morning Mass, Italian families always reunite for a traditional lunch. The more traditional will stay home preparing typical foods, others, instead, prefer to go to a restaurant. Whatever your decision is, the variety of typical foods will amaze you.
Easter dishes vary across Italy: each town has different traditions! However, there are some universal and must-have dishes shared all over the country: handmade pasta, torta pasqualina, lamb, colomba pasquale, and the chocolate eggs.
Check out our proposals for a typical Easter lunch in Rome.
Aqualunae Bistrot
Piazza dei Quiriti, 19/20
06.31076456 – aqualunaebistrot.com
€83 per person, 32€ wine pairing
Chef Emanuele Paoloni created a special tasting menu for Easter lunch, starting with the Chef’s welcome and a tasting of award-winning oil and salts. To follow avocado carpaccio, soffice agli asparagi e fondente d’uovo, tortelli con la corallina nel cuore, fava beans and saffron. Then Carnaroli cascina Oschiena with lamb chop, caviar and artichokes and Surf and turf: duck Roast Beef, prawn with black cabbage stuffed Greek style. For dessert Dolceluna: Cocoa cake, salted caramel, gianduja cream and hazelnuts. Open on Easter Monday with an a la carte menu.
Hotel Eden
Via Ludovisi, 49
06.47812761 – dorchestercollection.com
€140 per person, coffee included, drinks not included
This year, Il Giardino Ristorante, on the top floor of Hotel Eden, will be infused with the aromas and flavours of Capri with “Paolino Capri X Hotel Eden” pop-up restaurant. The unusual Easter menu, signed by Paolino Capri, includes: prawn carpaccio on buffalo mozzarella tartare and broad bean salad, lemon risotto with raw scampi, and stuffed calamari, friarielli and provola cheese on Provolone del Monaco fondant. Dessert is Pastiera 2.0, a mousse of Neapolitan pastiera, orange compote and crunchy cinnamon crumble as well as Easter coffee and sweets. There will also be no shortage of the typical Colomba Pasquale, chocolate eggs and hazelnuts from the Viterbo area, signed by chef Ezio Redolfi.
Cuoco e Camicia
Via di Monte Polacco, 2/4
Book on line: cuocoecamicia.it
à la carte menu
Cuoco e Camicia has over the years confirmed itself as a landmark in the Monti neighborhood. The restaurant by chef Riccardo Loreni and sommelier and partner Elisa Prifti, will be open for dinner on Easter and closed on Easter Monday. People will be able to taste the a la carte menu, which will also feature iconic Easter dishes such as Lamb with Artichokes. Easter special is the dessert: the Pastiera with tangerine sorbet.
Numa al Circo
Viale Aventino, 20
06.64420669 – numaalcirco.it
à la carte menu
Traditional Easter flavors triumph in the dishes at Numa al Circo restaurant. Great attention quality products and authentic, unadorned dishes characterize the offerings of executive chef Davide Cianetti’s restaurant, even during the Easter season. In addition to a la carte dishes, Cianetti offers some specialties for Easter and Easter Monday, such as White Lasagna with Artichokes, Baked Lamb with Potatoes, Fried Lamb Chops and Puntarelle. To close the delicious traditional Easter desserts. Not to be missed is also the typical Easter breakfast with cheese pizza, coratella, casatiello, eggs and coral.
Beverly – Easter Brunch
Largo Benedetto Marcello, 220
06.94502727
a la carte menu
Hoxton’s Beverly extends its brunch not only to Saturday and Sunday but also to Easter Monday. From 11.30am to 3pm you will find some typical Easter and Roman dishes on the menu in addition to their classic selection.
Adelaide – Hotel Vilòn restaurant
Via dell’Arancio, 69
06.878187 – hotelvilon.com
€120 per person, wine and beverages not included
Adelaide, the restaurant of Vilòn Roma, will be serving ‘La Pasqua di Adelaide’ on Sunday 9 April 2023. The menu, signed by executive chef Gabriele Muro, proposes: Vignarola and sweet pecorino cheese with herbs; baked kid plin, potato mousse and leek powder; and egg fettuccine with duck ragù and ricotta cheese on thyme. This is followed by smoked rabbit with hay, corn and carrots, and finally, for dessert, the Profumi Pasquali: almond, wheat and orange blossom shortbread.
Terra at Eataly Rome
Piazzale 12 Ottobre 1492
Book online: eataly.net – +39 3499357311
a la carte menu
On Easter Monday, April 10, Terra, the restaurant on the second floor of Eataly Roma offers four special grills. Meat lovers can choose the Grigliata del Macellaio: bombette from Apulia, salt-and-pepper sausage, pork capocollo, sheep arrosticini, lamb scottadito, herbed chicken rustichella with a side of grilled vegetables; or the Grigliata di Costata: 1000/1200gr beef rib from Eataly’s butcher’s shop with a side of grilled vegetables. Those who prefer fish can choose the Grigliata di Mare: squid, prawns, fillets of bream, tuna steak, and shrimp with a side of grilled vegetables. There is also a vegetarian choice with the Grigliata di Verdure: radicchio, Tropea red onions, corn on the cob, organic potatoes, tomatoes, and red and yellow peppers.
Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro
Piazza della Cancelleria, 80
06.6897080 – hosteriagrappolodoro.it
For Easter and Easter Monday, Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro will include typical local dishes on the menu. Don’t miss the Easter Antipasto: a selection of cured meats and cheeses, eggs, corallina, coratella and cheese pizza. In addition, chef Antonello Magliari will prepare homemade Ravioli stuffed with artichokes alla gricia and Coratella with artichokes for Easter. As an Easter dessert you will be able to enjoy the famous crostata ricotta e visciole (a Ricotta and sour cherry tart) and the Maritozzi della Quaresima, a Roman classic: soft rolls with raisins.
Queen Makeda
Via Francesco Negri, 9
06.5759608
Easter lunch €30 per person – Easter Monday Brunch €30 per person, beverages not included
Easter lunch
For Easter, Queen Makeda is offering a special brunch with a dedicated menu.
On Sunday, April 9, from 11:30 am, they start with a no-limit buffet featuring some of the great Easter classics from the Italian tradition. It continues with a choice of lasagna with meat sauce, chicken alla cacciatora, fried lamb chops and artichokes, and vegetarian crespella. To conclude, a selection of Easter desserts. A Kids Menu (with kids area) is also available at a cost of 15 euros. Reservations required.
Easter Monday Brunch
The brunch takes inspiration from the typical Easter monday picnic with friends. Unlimited buffet appetizers, nonstop grilled meat (lamb, pork and beef) accompanied by Roman mashed potatoes, chicory ripassata and vignarola. To conclude, a selection of Easter desserts. There are also kids’ menu and a kids’ area with entertainment. Reservations required.
ViVi Villa Pamphili
Via Vitellia, 102
06.5827540 – vivibistrot.com
€30 per person
Easter and Easter Monday picnic at Villa Pamphili
ViVi, Lifestyle & Food, inaugurates the spring season by offering a special Picnic menu for Easter, Sunday, April 9, 2023, and for Easter Monday, April 10, 2023. The menu is designed to be enjoyed comfortably on the lawn of Villa Pamphili, surrounded by the beauty of Italian gardens and monumental trees. Dishes on the menu include Quiche stuffed with spinach, ricotta and bacon, Colored Boiled Eggs, Jamaican Chicken – melted chicken marinated in cocoa, sugar and lime grilled in the oven -, and Tiramisu, with coffee crumble and homemade ladyfingers. To drink, Vitamin Water with ginger and lime, organic prosecco and water.
L’Oste ai Banchi
Via dei Banchi Vecchi, 140
06.87656724 – losteaibanchi.it
€45 per person, wine not included
The restaurant of chef Maria Luisa Zaia, host Massimo Pulicati and sommelier Marco Scarafoni on Easter Monday offers a typical menu. It starts with the Antipasto dell’Oste composed of coral, parmesan basket, misticanza, hard-boiled eggs and Easter pizza. It continues with Fettuccine al ragù and Abbacchio con le patate, then closes with Colomba and the not-to-be-missed Maria Luisa cream. An a la carte menu is also available
Chocolate Eggs and Colombe in Rome
It is not Easter without an Easter egg or a Colomba, everyone knows that. Apart from being able to purchase famed chocolate eggs from more commercial brands at the grocery store, you can also try some of the best Easter eggs in Rome from the following pasticcerie and bakeries!
Eataly Rome
Easter has already arrived at Eataly. From March 20 to April 10, in store and online you’ll find over 90 different types of chocolate eggs and colombe, fresh artisan bread made daily, the best traditional products, unique meats and cheeses, meat from sustainable farms, fresh fish from our seas, excellent wines… and many other quality products for an Easter to remember.
Said
For those who don’t know, SAID is one of the chocolate institutions of Rome and for Easter you can buy or order some of their famous chocolate sweets. SAID offers a wide and exciting variety of Easter eggs, from the classic ones to those with chilli, orange, pink Himalayan salt, ginger, hazelnuts, pistachios and more… Prices range from 15 to 40 and 50 euros. Check out their website!
Walter Musco Bompiani
Walter Musco’s colomba from Pasticceria Bompiani is renowned, as are the chocolate eggs, the pastiera, cheese pizza and casatiello. You can buy them in store at Largo Benedetto Bompiani 8, or order them online. Prices range between 20 and 60 euros and the products are incredible and of the highest quality. In addition, for some time now, Bompiani has specialised in real works of art, and this year Walter Musco is paying homage to great contemporary artists, such as Damien Hirst, with his artistic Easter eggs, which make up the exhibition ‘impressions from art’ – held at the Pasticceria from 24 March to 8 April.
Grezzo Raw Chocolate
This Raw Vegan shop will give you the opportunity to try the only Raw Chocolate Eggs in the world! Try their 2023 collection of vegan, gluten-free Easter Eggs, made with raw chocolate from Peru, including the raw chocolate egg made with 85% of cocoa sweetened with erythritol, a sweetener extracted from plants with zero calories. And do not forget their famous Krumorini, the perfect dessert created to celebrate Easter at its best, with 2 new versions: sugar-free with nuts, and with nuts and salty caramel.
Le Levain
Try Le Levain’s colomba, one of the town’s best at 36 euros. Made with natural yeast, candied Sorrento oranges, vanilla and a crispy almond glaze. Enjoy a special egg, made with Valrhona white chocolate, pistachio praline, whole pistachios and Madagascar vanilla for 32 euros. Or try the Valrhona dark chocolate bar with candied kumquats and hazelnuts. Classic pastiera also available at 24 or 32 euros depending on size.
Antico Forno Roscioli
Antico Forno Roscioli is one of the most famous places for food delicacies in Rome. Buy their classical artisanal colomba (€33) or the version with pear and chocolate or with apple and cinnamon (€37).
Fabbrica Giuliani
The Fabbrica Giuliani, established in 1949, produces chocolate and sweets, and at Easter even the much-loved eggs, using high-quality chocolate, as well as Colomba. Besides the classic versions available in 300, 450 and 650 grams, it is possible to purchase Colomba with Marrons Glacés also available gluten and lactose free. Wonderfully decorated eggs and eggs with dried fruit are also available for purchase either at their store in Via Paolo Emilio, 67 or on their online shop (marronglaces.it).
Panificio Bonci
From the casatiello to the pastiera, you can buy many traditional Easter sweets from Panificio Bonci. And the famous colomba could not be missing either!
Holy Week in Rome 2023
On April 2nd, Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord, the Pope will celebrate the commemoration of the entry of the Lord into Jerusalem and the Holy Mass at 10am. On Holy Thursday (April 6), the Chrism Mass will take place at 9.30am and the Mass of the Lord’s Supper will take place at 6pm.
One of the most important religious events in Rome is the traditional Via Crucis or “Way of the Cross” led by Pope Francis. The procession, which retraces Christ’s way to his crucifixion, will depart from the Colosseum at 9:15pm on April 7th. The Rome Via Crucis is attended by thousands of faithful people, that is why the procession is usually very crowded. If you are looking for something smaller and more intimate, there are alternatives too.
If you are looking for something smaller and more intimate, there are alternatives too; the night of Good Friday, the small town of Bracciano commemorates the Via Crucis throughout the alleys of its medieval center. The town, located only 40 minutes north of Rome, will host a religious reenactment composed of more than 150 performers. Every year, the actors’ old traditional costumes and Bracciano’s enchanting medieval atmosphere attract people from all over Italy. The procession of Good Friday is also celebrated in many neighboring towns such as Albano Laziale, Castel Madama, and Nerola.
On Holy Saturday (April 8) there will be the Easter vigil in the Holy Night at 7:30pm. And on Easter Sunday (April 9), the celebration of the Holy Mass of the Resurrection of the Lord will take place at 10am. Once the mass is over, the Holy Father will impart the “Urbi et Orbi” blessing at 12pm.
Traditional Easter breakfast
On Easter morning, the traditional breakfast is one of Italy’s must-have traditions. This meal, a kind of brunch, consists of cold cuts, hard-boiled eggs, different kinds of cheese, Easter pizza (sweet or savory), fruit, and freshly opened chocolate eggs. This traditional breakfast can also include tasty vegetarian options such as erbazzone, a typical Italian savory quiche stuffed with wild herbs and spices that vary from region to region.
How to celebrate Pasquetta Italian style
The last day of celebration after Pasqua is Pasquetta. Easter Monday is usually spent by Italians as a day trip to the countryside. Families and friends meet to have a relaxing picnic in some of the beautiful parks of Rome, either organizing a nice barbecue or bringing the leftovers from the Sunday Easter lunch. Thanks to the FAI, the park of Villa Gregoriana in Tivoli, opens to the public during the Easter Weekend. Villa Gregoriana will certainly amaze you with its waterfalls and caves, and, best of all, it is close to Rome and reachable also by train or a bus from Stazione Tiburtina.
Check out some more day trips you can take to celebrate Pasquetta
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