12-04-2025
La Bella Vita: Italy's Easter traditions and Italian expressions you need to know
La Bella Vita is our regular look at the real culture of Italy – from language to cuisine, manners to art. This newsletter is published weekly and you can receive it directly to your inbox, by going to newsletter preferences in 'My Account' or following the instructions in the newsletter box below.
Easter is one of the most important yearly celebrations in Italy, which is a clue to why Easter-related expressions are so common in the Italian language.
But, if this is your first time spending the vacanze di Pasqua in the country, what can you expect?
here's a handy overview of how Easter is celebrated in Italy.
The essential guide to Easter in Italy in 2025
As is the case with nearly all major celebrations in Italy, the Italian Pasqua has a strong focus on food.
In particular, the traditional Easter Sunday lunch is something of a hallowed ritual where unconscionably large quantities of food are served and consumed without fail every year.
But if you do end up overeating (as the author of this article inevitably will) this Easter Sunday, keep in mind that drinking an Italian digestif – a highly alcoholic, intensely flavoured liqueur – may provide some much-needed digestive aid at the end of the meal.
Though there is a huge variety of Italian digestivi, with preferences largely varying from region to region, there are some national favourites which you can expect to find in most homes and restaurants around the country.
Just like English, the Italian language has plenty of idiomatic phrases that can sound strange to language learners hearing them for the first time.
When chatting to native Italian speakers, unexpected talk about wolves, hairy tongues, and people drowning in a glass of water can be confusing - and even a bit alarming - if you've never come across such expressions before.
To give you a leg-up when engaging in everyday conversation, here are 15 of the most common Italian idioms and what they mean.
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