What Italians Eat for Easter and Easter Monday: Pasqua & Pasquetta

In Italy, Easter isn’t just a holiday on the calendar, it’s a two-day food ritual. Pasqua (Easter Sunday) is typically the “big” family meal, often formal and multi-course. Pasquetta (Easter Monday) is the playful sequel: a picnic, a countryside escape, a grill with friends, and a table that becomes portable. The dishes change from region to region, but the logic stays the same: spring ingredients, symbolic foods, and recipes that feel like heritage.

This guide is written for travelers and food lovers searching for what Italians eat for Easter and Pasqua and Pasquetta traditions, with a focus on what is truly common across the country and what varies by region.

Pasqua: the lunch of family tradition

1) The Easter antipasti: eggs, cured meats, and the first bite of spring

Italian Easter lunches often start with antipasti that feel celebratory but familiar: sliced salumi, local cheeses, bread, and almost always eggs. Eggs are a recurring Easter symbol across Italy, and they show up boiled, baked into savory pies, or served alongside cured meats.

In many households, you’ll also find seasonal touches that signal April: artichokes, greens, and fresh herbs especially where the local tradition is strong in rustic pies.

2) The savory icons: torta pasqualina, casatiello, and Easter breads

If you want to recognize Easter on sight, look at the baked goods. Italy has a deep tradition of savory Easter pies and breads, often enriched with cheese, pepper, cured meats.

• Torta Pasqualina (Liguria): a savory pie typically filled with ricotta and greens (spinach/chard), traditionally layered, with eggs baked inside. It’s widely cited as one of Italy’s signature Easter dishes.
• Casatiello (Campania): a rich, savory ring bread packed with cheese and cured meats, often topped with whole eggs held by dough strips. Italy’s national tourism portal specifically highlights casatiello as a long-standing Easter tradition in Campania.

These aren’t just “recipes.” They’re social food: made in large format, sliced at the table, and perfect for the next day’s picnic one of the reasons they dominate Easter weekend.

3) The main course: lamb

Across Italy, lamb is the most iconic Easter second course, roasted, grilled, or stewed, often paired with potatoes or seasonal vegetables. Multiple overviews of Italian Easter food list lamb as a core element of the holiday menu.

That said, it’s important to communicate a nuance: Easter in Italy is not only lamb, even if it is the most recognizable symbol.

4) The desserts: colomba, chocolate eggs, and regional masterpieces

Italy’s Easter sweets are famous for a reason, and many Italians consider the dessert table as important as the main course.

• Colomba: the dove-shaped Easter cake is perhaps the best-known Italian Easter sweet internationally, and it appears consistently in Italian Easter food guides.
• Uovo di Pasqua (chocolate egg): a modern classic, especially for families with children, often with a surprise inside.
• Pastiera Napoletana (Naples/Campania): a richly aromatic Easter tart made with ricotta and wheat berries, scented with orange blossom. It’s repeatedly described as the “queen” of Campania’s Easter desserts.

And then there’s the regional layer: from Sardinia’s pardulas (ricotta-based pastries) to countless local cookies, pies, and breads, Easter is a showcase of Italy’s micro-traditions.

Pasquetta: the picnic day

If Pasqua is “family lunch,” Pasquetta is movement. Italians often use Easter Monday to escape the city, an informal day built around parks, countryside, sea promenades, or a friend’s garden. The food shifts accordingly: fewer plates, more shareable items.

1) Picnic food that Italians actually bring

The staples of Pasquetta tend to be foods that travel well, slice easily, and don’t require complicated service:

• Casatiello / tortano slices (Campania)
• Savory pies (torta pasqualina and regional variants)
• Frittata (often with spring onions, herbs, or leftovers)
• Cold cuts and cheeses
• Bread and olive oil

These are exactly the kinds of foods that Italian recipe collections tie to Easter and Easter Monday because they work for both the formal meal and the outdoor follow-up.

2) Fava beans and pecorino: the simplest Pasquetta snack

In parts of central and southern Italy, fresh fava beans paired with pecorino are a classic spring tradition frequently associated with Pasquetta’s outdoor vibe. Several Italian Easter food summaries mention this pairing as a typical Easter Monday bite, especially in Lazio and the south.

3) Leftovers, but elevated

Pasquetta is also a celebration of what’s left from Pasqua, because Easter cooking produces abundance by design. Leftover roasted meats become sandwiches, pies become picnic slices, and desserts are shared again in a more relaxed setting.

This is a key cultural point if you’re telling the story to international readers: Italian holiday food is cyclical. The weekend isn’t two separate menus, it’s one long narrative where Sunday’s preparation becomes Monday’s freedom.

Practical tips for travelers who want to “eat Easter like an Italian”

• Book early: restaurants and agriturismi fill fast on Easter weekend.
• If you want the full experience, try Easter lunch in a traditional trattoria and keep Pasquetta for a countryside picnic or an easy day trip.
• Don’t chase everything at once: pick one iconic dessert (pastiera or colomba) and one savory classic (casatiello or torta pasqualina).