Rimwall

We will visit Italy in April, and heard that Easter is a big holiday there and many cities/towns will be virtually closed down. Where should we visit during this period of time - Is Cinque Terre a viable option? Any other suggestions?

BikerScott

We were in Rome last Easter and did not find it shut down. I think any big city in Italy will be 'open' at Easter. Naples was also fine. Perhaps certain sites may be closed but you can check their websites.

raincitygirl

I have been in Rome and Florence during Easter and neither city was shut down, quite the opposite.

PalenQ

Rome is an exciting city to be in for Easter festivities - and church services with neat live choirs. Yup a lot of locals take off two weeks - one before and after Easter I think but only local places will be closed- it's a big tourist period though so will be crowded.

But traffic and such will be down as many locals flee to seasides or northern Europe-like Paris.

No cities I think will be shut down for two weeks these days.

frencharmoire

Why not Naples? The weather will be nicer, the chocolate eggs will be hilariously enormous, lots of other gooey pastries, pizza and pasta, and lots of flowers, lots of goings on with everybody in the Easter Sunday finest. If the weather is nice you can skip off to Capri or Ischia when the museums and Pompeii are closed. If you like cliffs and sea views, go to the Amalfi instead of le Cinque Terre.

bvlenci

Easter is a favorite time for Italians to take short spring breaks, so there's absolutely no fear that anything will be closed down. In fact, many touristic locations schedule their grand openings for Easter weekend. Many schools are closed the week after Easter, so this is a favorite time for family vacations, especially for visiting the "art cities" in Italy. Easter is the beginning of high season. It's just the opposite of what you've heard.

All of the museums and archaeological sites that are normally on Sundays will be open on Easter. Many museums in Italy are normally closed on Mondays, but some of them will be open for the occasion on Easter Monday.

Religious museums, such as the Vatican Museums, will usually be closed for both Easter and Easter Monday. Easter Monday is a public holiday, but that wouldn't affect the tourist, unless they need to use a bank or post office.

The week before Easter is business as usual. I don't know of anything that's closed even on Good Friday. Many churches will have processions that day, but they're usually in the evening, because it's a normal working day.

Actually, I wonder where you heard that towns and cities were closed down.

bvlenci

<i> Yup a lot of locals take off two weeks - one before and after Easter ... </i> This isn't true in my experience. Schools are often closed the week after Easter, but this varies by region. Families with small children may take that week off, or at least a few days. Since Easter Monday is a public holiday, they can get a week off taking only four vacation days. However, I really don't know anyone who takes the whole week off.

Ackislander

I will say that travel may be hellish owing to the holiday family migrations that bvlenci describes. Think Thanksgiving in the US.

massimop

I am sorry I don't know about Thanksgiving in the US but it is not like hell to travel in Italy for Easter. What happens in the US that is like hell?

It can be nice to go to le Cinque Terre in April but not if you want to swim. It is too cold. But if you like to hike, it is a nice time to go because it is not too hot. Le Cinque Terre has many tourists. If you want to go to a place that is beautiful to hike and has the same beautiful food as le Cinque Terre, you go to Lerici or a very little town called Bonassola. You can go to Camogli or Santa Margherita Ligure. It is nice there, I think, because if it rains, you can go to Genova. If it rains in le Cinque Terre you can go to Pisa on the train.

bvlenci

Easter is not at all like Thanksgiving in the US, when 80% of the population has to go to have dinner with the other 20%. What travel there is for Easter would be spread out over a week, and lots of people don't go anywhere, or just go to relatives in the same town.

There's a saying in Italy, "Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi."
(Christmas with family, Easter with the one you love.)