Easter in Italy is traditionally a holiday spent with family, but the Monday after Easter is another story – it’s still a nationwide holiday, and this one is all about hanging out with friends, often gathering for picnics. Easter Monday is called “La Pasquetta,” or “Little Easter,” in Italian. Many cities will hold outdoor events on Pasquetta, including concerts and games. The games often involve eggs, like the famous egg races of Tredozio. One one unusual Pasquetta game takes place in the town of Panicale in Umbria, where the goal is to roll giant wheels of cheese around the city walls in the quickest time and using the least strokes.
As mentioned, Easter can be a really interesting time to visit Italy, especially to see all the ancient traditions (which, it should be noted, are carried out not for tourists but for Italians – which makes them even more interesting), but because the whole country has vacation time during Easter week it can be a difficult time to get around. If you plan to visit Italy during Easter, I recommend booking your hotel or hostel way in advance (and be prepared to pay a little more than you might the week before or after), and try to not be moving from city to city much during that week. Plan to set up camp in one spot and not be driving or crowding onto trains, and you’ll be much happier.