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 (updated 2023)
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 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
Easter Lunch
€140 per person, coffee included, drinks not included
Chef Fabio Ciervo prepared an amazing meal for Easter lunch, to be tasted on the beautiful rooftop restaurant of Eden Hotel. This will be the menu: creamed peas, burrata, and prawns as a starter, then, as the first dish, tortelli with lamb stew. As a second dish, you can choose between cod with cannellini cream or veal shank. And to close the meal in a sweet way, try vanilla, green apple, and elderflower and the Colomba Easter cake created by pastry chef Ezio Redolfi.
Easter Monday Brunch
€100 per person, water and coffee included
Celebrate Pasquetta by enjoying a special brunch! You will taste a selection of delicacies (from mixed cold cut platter to duck foi gras bonbon), two types of pasta (tortelli with cuttlefish ink, salmon, and Roman courgettes and risotto with broad beans and pecorino) and a choice of meat or fish. As dessert there will be a selection of petits fours, Colomba Easter cake and chocolate Easter eggs.
Cuoco e Camicia
Via di Monte Polacco, 2/4
Book on line: cuocoecamicia.it
€60 per person
The Easter tasting menu created by chef Riccardo Loreni has been inspired by roman tradition and seasonal products. The lunch includes a selection of mise en bouche and a flute of Franciacorta, and then ovetto, carbonara and asparagus. The chef’s proposal for the first dish is bottoni filled with artichokes, vignarola, and pecorino, a true explosion of flavors. Following a Fiorentina lamb steak. For dessert caramel, coffee, and ginger apricot.
Numa al Circo
Viale Aventino, 20
06/64420669 – numaalcirco.it
The traditional flavors of Easter mark the dishes of the restaurant Numa al Circo on Viale Aventino. In addition to the la carte menu, chef Davide Cianetti proposes typical Easter specialties such as lasagna with lamb sauce, fettuccine alla vignarola, lamb, artichokes, and casatiello which is the donut-shaped salted bread characteristic of Easter celebrations. To close the meal they offer unmissable sweets.
Don Pasquale – Maalot Roma Restaurant
Via delle Muratte 78
06/878087 – hotelmaalot.com
€80 per person, wine and beverages not included
The Easter menu created by Chef Domenico Boschi is dedicated to the traditional roman cuisine, but updated with some innovations. The menu includes Sfoglia rustica alla Vignarola, Lasagna with Roman artichokes and Cacio cheese, Lamb with smashed potatoes and cicoria, and for dessert colomba, Chantilly and berries and Don Pasquale Chocolate egg.
Beverly – Easter Brunch
Largo Benedetto Marcello, 220
06/94502727 – thehoxton.com/it/rome/beverly-restaurant/
a la carte menu
Hoxton’s Beverly extends its brunch not only to Saturday and Sunday but also to Easter Monday. From 11am 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
€100 per person, wine and beverages not included
The Easter lunch proposed by Gabriele Muro and sous chef Federico Sartucci is strongly influenced by the tradition: vignarola, fettuccine with asparagus, guanciale and country herbs, gnocchi cacio pepe and cicorietta, lamb with herbs and artichokes. And for dessert, colomba and the artistic chocolate eggs made by Andrea De Benedetto, the young chef pâtissier of Vilòn, who has created decorated eggs of different sizes which will welcome guests also in the hotel rooms.
Bucavino
Via Po, 45/A 69
06 8412803 – bucavino.com
€55 per person, wine not included
At Bucavino you will enjoy an Easter lunch just like at home, with a tasting menu also available to take away. Start choosing among casatiello, salami and vignarola, or Carciofo alla giudia or puntarelle salad with smoked stracciata and anchovies. Then Lasagna with asparagus, taleggio and fine herbs, together with pacchero with lamb sauce and olives. For second dish, veal stew with white wine, porcini mushrooms and vegetables or roast veal stuffed with lard, pears and potatoes. And for dessert try their special Colomba ice cream!
Hosteria Grappolo d’Oro
Piazza della Cancelleria, 80
06/6897080 – hosteriagrappolodoro.it
Start your Easter food celebration with antipasto pasquale composed of eggs, corallina salame, coratella and pizza al formaggio. On Easter day Chef Antonello Magliari will prepare handmade ravioli filled with gricia artichokes. Then, the unmissable roman Easter dish: coratella with artichokes. If you are still hungry, enjoy the typical crostata ricotta e visciole and the maritozzi della Quaresima for dessert.
Queen Makeda (updated 2023)
Via Francesco Negri, 9
06/5759608 – queenmakeda.it
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
€50 for 2 people
Easter and Easter Monday picnic at Villa Pamphili
On April 17 and 18, ViVi offers a picnic menu to enjoy comfortably sitting on the lawn of Villa Pamphili, the largest park in the capital. The menu will include quiche with eggs, spinach, ricotta and bacon, bio boiled egg, baked chichen, tiramisu with coffee crumble, and VitaminWater with ginger and lime.
You can organize your picnic take away, with the practical compostable food box provided by ViVi. You will choose what to eat from the website, choosing dishes “à la carte” in the section dedicated to picnics. You will be able to make your own order up to an hour before collection, then Vivi will deliver you a food box in paper that you can take you wherever you want!
Picnic Deluxe: Romantic and Country style (At the end of the picnic the basket and mat have to be returned).
The Romantic picnic (€60 for 2 pp) and the Country style picnic (€50 for 2 pp) are both delivered in a wicker basket, equipped with ceramic plates and glass glasses, along with a colored mat.
The Romantic Picnic offers delicacies such as chickpea hummus with Arabic bread triangles, Caesar salad with organic chicken, salad, parmesan flakes, croûtons and Cesar sauce and home made cheese cake, as well as natural water and a bottle of organic prosecco.
The Picnic Campagnolo has simple and genuine flavors and includes focaccia with seasonal organic vegetables and chickpea hummus, vegan Caesar salad with salad, vegetable shreds, dried tomatoes, croûtons and Caesar sauce, organic chocolate brownies, homemade, natural water and a bottle of organic red wine.
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 that don’t know SAID, it’s 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
Buy or order Le Levain’s colomba, surely one of the best in town (36 euros), made with natural yeast, hand-crafted candied Sorrento oranges and vanilla and covered with a crunchy almond glaze. Moreover, the patisserie this year offers a special egg made with Valrhona white chocolate, Madagascar vanilla, pistachio praline and whole pistachios for 32 euros and a Valrhona dark chocolate bar with toasted hazelnuts and handcrafted candied kumquats. Finally, on sale also the indispensable pastiera, at 24 or 32 euros depending on the 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.
Also, on 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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