My question is about the suggestion to avoid Italy during Easter week. Is Easter week considered the week before or after Easter?

I suspect it is before Easter. Children in the U.S usually have the week after Easter as a vacation week, and we were considering arriving in Rome on Easter Sunday.

I am wondering why you want to avoid Easter week in Italy, when so many beautiful rituals are taking place????
But in answer to your question, Easter week (Settimana Sancta) is the week before Easter, including Holy Thursday and Good Friday. It's a wonderful time in Italy.
Then the Monday which follows Easter is calld "Pasquetta" and is a holiday, when friends and family gather and celebrate outdoors with picnics.

Thanks Sognatrice. Our objective (10 family members) is to take advantage of the kids (4 of them) school vacation week. Since it's a two-week Italy vacation, they will only miss one week of school.

Do you know if it's possible to do sight-seeing on Easter Monday (Pasquetta), or will most tourist destinations be closed?

I think that if you're in a city, like Rome, things will be open. It's hard to know because you don't where you'll be.
The tourist information offices can usually help with this, and can be found unline. I don't think there would be a problem at all with things being open, just lots of traffic and people having picnics!
Maybe your family can have one too that day!!!

sorry for all my mispellings, hope you can read the message! (I'm in a rush to go outside for a picnic!)

Again, thank you so much Sognatrice. I will check with the Rome tourist office.

Enjoy your picnic, I'm off to the beach!

I went to Italy a few years ago and also had some concerns about going during Easter. It actually turned out to be amazing time to go, with all the Semana Santa events. We were in Rome on Easter Sunday and heard the pope give mass. I'm not Catholic but it was an experience that I'll never forget. I would not worry about going during that time.

Thanks, Louisa. Your response was just what I wanted to hear!

I agree with the others. Italy is wonderful during Easter week.

Several years ago, I was in Rome for Palm Sunday and saw the Pope say mass on St. Peter's Square. You do not need tickets if you just stand for the mass. It was a lovely experience.

I've been to Rome twice during Holy Week and the week after, the last time was in 2003. On that Easter Monday, the zoo, Borghese Gallery, Colosseum, Forum and Capitoline Museums were all open. It was more difficult to find someplace open for lunch but you will certainly be able to find something.

I'm back from the beach and read the new postings. This is wonderful news, and I will pass the information on to my family.

Thanks to everyone.


Cindy

The people are so welcoming at Eastertime and to see how they deck the churches out is a special time to be there.

I have gone twice for Settimana Santa, this year, I went to Procida for Good Friday, which is truly unforgettable, and then Easter in Naples.
I was so fortunate, as I was preparing an article about all the special Easter rituals and on Procida I was able to secure a press pass to get into the Last Supper, which is reenacted. "La ultima cena". Then, at dawn on Good Friday, there is a procession of floats created by locals from a high point on the island, down to the Harbor, it's extrememly beautiful, and very folkloric also.
I hope you have an wonderful experience, I believe this is ine of the best times to go there!