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.

I don’t know about you, but spring has already well and truly sprung in my part of Italy. The sun is out, the birds are chirping, and my Italian neighbours are spending the weekend cleaning their houses from top to bottom in preparation for Easter and large family gatherings.

A weekend-long cleaning marathon is just one of the ways people mark the arrival of springtime in Italy – the warmer weather also means it’s time to get the motorino out of the garage, take aperitivo hour outside, and consider ditching the heavy piumino coats in favour of some stylish layers. Plus, asparagus and artichokes are back on the menu.

The unmistakable signs that spring has arrived in Italy

People carry statues of the Virgin Mary and Jesus during an Easter procession in the town of Aidone, near Enna, in central Sicily. (Photo by Marcello PATERNOSTRO / AFP)

After the excesses of a large Easter Sunday lunch with all the family, the preferred way for many Italians to spend Easter Monday is with friends, taking a trip fuori porta to a nearby town or village. While the major cities will be packed with international tourists – Rome expects over a million visitors this Easter weekend – Italians themselves usually prefer to escape the hustle and bustle and take in a different part of their country.

Italy celebrates its most beautiful villages (or borghi) every year with an annual ranking named I Borghi più belli d’Italia (The most beautiful villages in Italy) which many people use for inspiration for these weekend escapes, and while we couldn’t list all of them we’ve put together a selection to inspire you in the following article. We’d love to hear any of your suggestions in the comments, too.

Nine lesser-known Italian villages to visit over Easter

Easter is of course a major event on the national calendar in overwhelmingly Catholic Italy, so perhaps it’s not surprising that the Italian language is laden with Easter-related expressions – some of which can be used all year round.

We’ve put together six of our favourites in the article below. Bonus points if you manage to drop any of these into conversation at Easter lunch.

Six Easter-inspired Italian phrases explained

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Is there an aspect of the Italian way of life you’d like to see us write more about on The Local? Please email me at [email protected].