Easter in Venice is quite crowded. It’s a popular time for tourists with children taking a break for the Easter holidays. It’s a lovely time of year and a perfect moment to visit Venice because the spring sunshine is not overpowering. You can usually walk around with a light jacket although this year (2019) is so hot that we’ve seen lots of visitors in T-shirts and even children swimming in the sea! And Lido had some very important visitors to its beach: dolphins were seen swimming right up to the shoreline!

We celebrate Easter like most Italian families  –  with a massive lunch! Many people eat lamb but we usually get some fish for a seafood feast. Our children decorate the house with eggs and feathers and we always make the traditional “pane pasquale” (or Easter bread) which is a bit like a brioche and includes whole eggs baked into the dough, still in their shells. We always buy a Colombe di Pane from one of the Venetian bakeries (Scarpa does a great one). It’s a bready cake made in the shape of a bird and is traditional all over Italy.

Of course chocolate is also an important part of the Easter holidays and many bakeries sell mini chocolate eggs by the kilo. Cafes and shops often hold raffles, with the grand prize being a gigantic Easter Egg (we haven’t one yet unfortunately…!) Most families attend Easter Mass.