sarge56

Anyone been before? Any hints on what special things might be going on/fun to do on Easter Sunday? (I was raised Catholic, so services somewhere would be great. But where? Better to find a smaller church or just try for the Duomo?) Do they typically do "sunrise" service there, too, like we do in the States?)

Thanks all!

flanneruk

I've no idea how widespread dawn masses are in the US.

The norm in Italy is for a highly complex Easter Vigil service, typically starting around 2230 on Holy Saturday night and going on till 0100 or later (though often brought forward to start around 2000), and a sung High Mass in mid-morning: few attend both, and major churches usually have a number of other, low (unsung) masses. There IS a set, and separate, liturgy for dawn masses, but they're rare.

In major cities, there is something of a local culture of attending some or all of the Vigil service at the main cathedral or basilica, and this can create very unpleasant crowding (in Venice last month, the police had to be called to keep people out of Christmas Eve Midnight Mass at St Mark's). In Florence this might be more of an issue for the main Easter Sunday daytime mass, and you need to ask your hotel about this.

Easter being the central feast of Christianity, there's any amount of local tweaks. In Florence, it's the Scoppio del Carro, in which after the main daytime Easter Sunday mass, the Archbishop (after being involved in less spectacular pyrotechnics inside the Duomo after the Gloria) launches a dove-shaped missile into a cart in the Piazza that's been dragged through the streets by while bulls. The cart explodes, launching fireworks. Inevitably, this will mean more crowds.

In Italy, there's an infuriating national computer phobia that means many churches don't put their mass times on the web. Because attending mass over Easter is a core discipline, churches almost universally display posters on their external door with details of all services over the Palm Sunday - Easter Sunday period: the only way you can really judge which is most convenient for you is to look at the doors as you're walking round the city.

You can try googling (firenze messa pasqua) from early March, but don't blame yourself if you're not too successful

Italians can't or won't sing, the Holy Week liturgies involve a lot of music, and few Italian churches any more have enough regular attenders to furnish decent choirs.

Attending complex services outside major churches can be toe-clenchingly embarrassing as really dreadful cantors single-handedly try chanting settings way beyond their skills - and scarcely a single member of the congregation joins in. You MIGHT strike lucky in one of the scores of small, beautiful, churches Florence is stuffed with. Or you might end up staring at the Renaissance paintings, wishing you were somewhere else and reminding yourself it's a divine service, not a music concert.

madamtrashheap

I can't help you with Mass, but I can advise you to not miss the Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart)which is held in the square/area in front of the Duomo on Easter Sunday. The tradition dates back to the 1100s Crusades and involves the loading of a large wooden cart with fireworks which are lit via a mechanical "dove" just at the end of Mass in the Duomo. The fireworks go off, the bells ring and people are everywhere!

sarge56

Awesome. I'll have to ask my hotel if they have any hints on when to get there and where to park my arse. Sounds great.

flanner- thanks much! Sunrise Easter Service in the US is extremely popular, especially with the larger diocese. I will be arriving in Florence early afternoon on Saturday, so hopefully will have a chance to look around at some of those church doors before Sunday. (It's a shame when a priest cannot sing on key.)

asps

Flanneruk's observations are sensible. I would just add that the Duomo has hired a new music staff in recent times and the music is getting better. If you want to attend Mass in Duomo, the Mass entrance is from the door on the right side.

I cannot comment on other churches as I am too busy playing in my own church during Easter vigil

adrienne

I think sunrise mass in the US must be regional. I'm from the East Coast and I've never heard of a church having a sunrise mass for Easter.

I haven't been in Florence for Easter Sunday but was there once during Holy Week and it was packed, especially with mobs of teenagers. The Duomo gave out olive branches rather than palms on Palm Sunday.

kybourbon

I seem to recall the Duomo restricting services to their parishioners (someone's trip report), but they may have changed. Your hotel should be able to tell you.

I've only been there on Easter Monday and there wasn't much open.

sarge56

Well, I've been to sunrise services in North Carolina, Illinois and Texas. So, not sure what drives whether or not a church does them. But they are pretty special, like Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve.

adrienne

I've only ever heard of sunrises services in Protestant faiths. I did check 3 major Catholic churches in the US and none of them have sunrise masses on Easter. They do have Holy Saturday evening vigils. When Easter is early (March), sunrise does coincide with traditional 7am masses but this is a coincidence as it happens on other days as well.

I imagine a sunrise service would be special.