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Pasquetta: The Italian Getaway After Easter

If you think Italian Easter is all about family, chocolate eggs, and never-ending lunches… well, you’ve only seen half the story.
The following day, the famous Lunedì dell’Angelo, better known as Pasquetta, is when Italians switch gears: goodbye formality, hello chaos, carefree vibes, and, of course, plenty of great food.

Easter vs Pasquetta

While Easter is about tradition, tables groaning with food, arriving relatives, and chocolate eggs galore, Pasquetta is about friends, improvisation, and pure mayhem. The only rule? Don’t stay at home.
If winter has New Year’s Eve and summer has Ferragosto, Pasquetta is the springtime hub for getting together. It’s organised months in advance to get the whole friendship group on the same page and arrive prepared… or at least try to. The day promises sunshine, laughter, and al-fresco dining and often a few noteworthy mishaps.

There are three types of people on Pasquetta…

Every Italian recognises themselves in at least one category and spends the preceding months trying to convince their group of friends to follow their lead. Usually, it’s one of these three:

The relaxed ones: Al-fresco picnics

For them, Pasquetta is the perfect day to enjoy spring in total relaxation. All they need is a meadow, a hillside, or a lakeshore, a checkered blanket, and a wicker basket full of homemade breads and cold dishes to enjoy in the fresh air. The day is spent with family or the closest of friends, amidst chats, football matches with makeshift goalposts, and card tournaments or board games. In short, absolute relaxation: the ideal Pasquetta to truly switch off and breathe in a bit of spring.

The adventurers: A day trip out of town

The coast or the mountains? Everyone has their destination luckily, Italy has plenty to offer! In the South, there are those who officially “open” the swimming season, while in the mountains, the main goal is to walk just enough to burn off yesterday’s Easter lunch. In any case, the day is dedicated to breathing in fresh air, breaking the routine, and having fun with loved ones. And, to power through the walks and the laughter, a strategic snack is a must… a few shavings of Grana Padano PDO!

The barbecue heroes: The grill

For others, Pasquetta is synonymous with one thing: firing up the grill. For barbecue enthusiasts, the arrival of spring is a sigh of relief: aprons are dusted off, charcoal is lit, tongs are gripped, and the craving for grilled food is finally unleashed. Some swear by pork ribs, others bet everything on marinated chicken, and some refuse to compromise when faced with a massive beef steak. Then there are the side-dish creatives, the grilled vegetable specialists, and, naturally, the official “drinks officers” a fundamental role without which the day simply doesn’t work. Here, company is essential and follows a very clear motto: the more, the merrier. And to keep everyone happy, it’s essential to have an ace up your sleeve: a silky Grana Padano PDO sauce to dip… well, everything.

It might all sound wonderful, but there’s a catch…

Every Pasquetta follows the same script: a thousand ideas, months of organising, infinite group chats to decide on the destination and menu… and then that morning arrives and you discover it’s raining.
The weather has always been the natural nemesis of a day designed for large groups and long hours outdoors. Rain really can ruin everything, and it often does, but don’t panic: Italians always have an infallible back-up plan. It’s called Easter 2.0.
Everyone heads back to the table, repeats the feast from the day before, and settles into board games and card matches that last for hours, amidst laughter and stories that get more animated by the minute. Because, deep down, the point of Pasquetta was never the trip, the grill, or the picnic. It’s being together.

In Italy, Pasquetta is the informal interlude after the solemnity of Easter. It’s made of ambitious plans, endless organising, and a dash of unpredictability. Sometimes it’s sunshine and green meadows, other times an improvised table and a last-minute Plan B. Because Pasquetta, more than just a tradition, is an attitude. And like every moment of Italian conviviality, it finds its perfect balance in authentic flavours—like Grana Padano—capable of turning even a day of rain and cancelled plans into a memory worth sharing.

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