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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Italy’s most popular Easter getaways and five pre-Roman sites to visit

From making the most of the Easter holidays in Italy to exploring the country's ancient history beyond the Romans, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

Published: 27 March 2024 16:19 CET
Updated: 29 March 2024 11:25 CET
Forum of Caesar, Rome
A view of the Forum of Caesar in Rome with the Altare della Patria monument in the background in June 2019. Photo by Tiziana FABI / AFP

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.

Italy is one of Europe’s most popular Easter holiday destinations as hundreds of thousands of people every year take advantage of the long weekend to soak in the beauty of the country’s world-famous landmarks and views. But which parts of the peninsula can you expect to be most crowded this year?

Data collected by hotel and holiday homes portals Booking.com and Airbnb has revealed Italians’ favoured Easter holiday destinations within Italy this Easter – and while some of the most popular ‘art cities’ do appear at the top of the list, some of the other findings may well come as a surprise.

REVEALED: The most popular Italian getaway destinations this Easter

The Romans are Italy’s best-known ancient civilisation as traces of their passage are visible all around Italy, from imposing monuments like Rome’s Colosseum and the Verona Arena to almost perfectly preserved aqueducts and roads.

But the Romans weren’t the first people to populate the country as a surprising number of early human societies including Greek and Etruscan settlements left their mark on the Italian peninsula, leaving behind temples, fortifications, theatres and graveyards, some of which can still be visited today. 

Five pre-Roman sites to visit in Italy

A broken statue of Icarus at the base of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento.

A broken statue of Icarus at the base of the Temple of Concordia in Agrigento. Photo by Alexandra Tran on Unsplash

Spring is generally one of the best times of the year to visit Italy as the days get longer, the winter blues fade away, and a host of cultural, culinary and sports events gradually pick back up all over the country.

From Florence blowing up a cart packed full of fireworks on Easter Sunday to historical reenactments (including a legionaries’ parade at the Circus Maximus) for Rome’s birthday on April 21st, we’ve put together nine of our favourites in the article below. 

If there’s any other event that you think should have made the list, we’d love to hear your suggestions in the comments section.

Nine of the best events to attend in Italy in spring 2024

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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].

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LA BELLA VITA

La Bella Vita: Unbreakable carbonara rules and the best spring events in Milan

From making the most of April in Milan to knowing exactly how far you can go when adapting the classic carbonara recipe, our weekly newsletter La Bella Vita offers you an essential starting point for eating, talking, drinking and living like an Italian.

Published: 27 March 2024 16:19 CET
Updated: 5 April 2024 09:52 CEST
La Bella Vita: Unbreakable carbonara rules and the best spring events in Milan

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.

Are you a carbonara purist, or do you have a family favourite recipe that’s a twist on the original? 

Classic carbonara, typical of Rome and its surrounding Lazio region, is made with eggs, cured pork cheek (guanciale), pecorino romano cheese and pepper – and, as any Italian will tell you, absolutely no cream. But the many high-profile adaptations out there have made this the most controversial Italian pasta recipe around.

Some people like to add a little onion, or flavour the oil with a halved garlic clove. Others might prefer pancetta to the traditional guanciale, or use parmigiano reggiano instead of pecorino. You might favour rigatoni, mezze maniche, or another pasta shape over spaghetti.

While any deviation from the classic Roman carbonara recipe can be divisive (we all know there’s no easier way to upset an Italian than by messing with their food) Italian culinary experts often say a certain, limited amount of adaptation is fine.

I think food journalist and carbonara expert Eleonora Cozzella said it best in an interview in 2021: “Some versions may be seen as a homage, and other ones more as an insult. The important thing is never to cross the line that betrays the spirit of the dish.”

So where exactly is the line? A lot of people would say it’s at adding cream, while (we hope) almost everyone would think twice before adding tomatoes – a New York Times recipe suggestion which Italy’s agricultural association described as “disturbing”. As Cozzella put it, the secret to a good carbonara is “more about what you don’t put in it.”

As it’s World Carbonara Day on April 6th, it would be rude not to make it this weekend – but you may want to brush up on the classic recipe (which dates from the 1960s) if you’ve got any Italians coming to dinner. We’ve got that plus a look at the rules you really mustn’t break if you want to call it carbonara below:

Ask an Italian: What are the unbreakable rules for making real pasta carbonara?

On the subject of pasta, you might love it but could you eat it seven days a week? People in other countries often imagine that most Italians probably do eat pasta every single day – and in many cases, that’s true.

While Italians do (of course) eat far more pasta than anyone else in the world, ‘only’ around one fifth of people in the country eat pasta every single day – though the majority enjoy it several times a week.

We looked in more detail at the stats on pasta consumption in Italy and asked how people never tire of eating it:

Do Italians really eat pasta every day?

And there might not be a better time of year to be in Milan than right now. In early spring, the rain is easing off – though there are plenty of shops, cafes and galleries to duck into in case of showers – and the heat isn’t yet too intense.

But it’s not just better weather making Milan a great place to be at the moment. The city is buzzing with energy as the calendar picks up this month, with major events in the form of the Milan marathon, art and design fairs, and some unusual museum openings.

We’ve put together a selection of some of the most interesting events to check out in Milan this April:

Six things to do in Milan in April 2024

Remember if you’d like to have this weekly newsletter sent straight to your inbox you can sign up for it via Newsletter preferences in “My Account”.

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].

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