Easter in Italy

In a country full of devout Catholics, it's no surprise that Easter is a rather big deal. Schools have been closed since Thursday (which we will call Good Friday eve), Saturday is pre-Easter and Monday is something everyone here likes to call, "Little Easter." Nothing operates on that day either, though I'm not sure what's so special about it.

I spent today, (the official regular-sized Easter) cleaning up and piping chocolate eggs down my system. Trust me, it's an old Italian tradition that goes way back and I'm inviting you to join me in my quest for diabetes.

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I spent lunch with my lovely Italian fam eating every kind of meat imaginable (although I heard you're not actually supposed to eat at all), then we cut open the Colomba which is a traditional Italian dessert saved specifically for Easter. It's shaped like a Dove to represent peace, though some people will say it actually just represents springtime. It's a sweet bread with dried fruit on the inside and sugar pellets, almonds and more dried fruit on top. It was rather scrumptious, and I found myself getting seconds.

Dinner was held in my apartment which was graced with a dozen and a half expats from around the city having no other family to spend the holiday with. There was cheese, wine and tiramisu, so naturally I now feel like a lump of cholesterol in a pretty brown cardigan.

All in all, it was an interesting day. A little too much sweets, but that just goes to show that Easter is basically the same no matter where you are. Buona Pasqua everyone.