Today is ‘Little Easter’ in Italy: Pasquetta! Easter Monday is traditionally spent having a barbecue (you didn’t know Italians loved barbecue? They invented mixed grilled meat!!) Or sometimes having a picnic, usually associated with a walk in the countryside. This is like what 90% of the people do here on Pasquetta.
You need a day off, to recover from all that Easter eating. Just the variety of Easter eggs alone!
For weeks beforehand, pastry shops and confectioners fill their windows with these large chocolate eggs. They may be decorated with candy flowers, birds or other spring-like happy ornaments. 
Oh, and don’t forget the Colomba – a dove-shaped cake that is also traditional Easter eats.
Kind of like pizza, Italians believe in everyone having their own Easter egg. You do know that in Italy no one shares a pizza, everyone orders his/her own with the topping that he/she prefers.
The Easter eggs are chocolate, usually rather large, and contain a surprise. No wonder, then, that Kinder Eggs made by that Italian colossal of the sweets industry, Ferrero, contain those little prizes inside.
Children may be given several of these large eggs by parents, grandparents, godparents, etc. If you’re lucky, as an adult you may get one, from that special someone.
And if that special someone wants to do something extra-special, he/she may make a stop at the jeweler’s first, and then have the pastry shop ‘custom-fill’ the egg with a personalized gift!
You know the old Italian saying, Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi! (Christmas with your parents, Easter with whomever you want!) So, who did you choose to spend your Easter with this year?
Suzanne Branciforte's Italian Grapevine 
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