Pasqua

 Easter Sunday, and not one bunny in sight.

This is Italy and the Easter Bunny does not exist here.  Chocolate eggs, yes. Bunnies, no. 

The Easter weekend concludes the holiest week in the calendar and it is a full three to four day weekend for Italians. Here, the holiday does not end on Easter Sunday. There's an extension known as "La Pasquetta" and it's a legal holiday. So, there are thousands of visitors in Assisi at the moment. The crowds have been growing since Friday and surely will remain through Monday. It's still a bit chilly but it isn't unusual to see Italians bundled up for the cold even in warmer weather.  Thick, wooly scarves and hats are seen on those who fear being hit by the air, the famous "Un Colpo d'aria" that would mean bedrest and misery. They prefer to not sit by an open door in a restaurant or cafe for the same reason. But the sun, it did shine on Easter Day.

I woke up to the beautiful sight of the valley and caught a brief view of a hot air balloon that was off on an early morning cruise. 

We had a traditional Easter breakfast of Torta de Pasqua, a lovely bread infused with cheese. And of course, our Italian coffee. Not Cappuccino. That's a treat that we have outside of the house, at a cafe. But this morning, we had to get ready for Mass so we did not make a stop.

Instead, we went down the hill to the Basilica de San Francesco for the English Speaking Mass which is held weekly in a small chapel adjacent to the Lower Basilica. There's a large English speaking community here in Assisi as in other parts of Umbria. 

Following Mass, we came out into the brilliant sunshine and huge crowds of people awaiting entrance into the Basilica, a long line of those who awaited their turn to go down an ancient stone staircase that leads to the tomb of Saint Francis. He's a popular guy here every day but it seems his credibility rating rises on religious holidays. Never, in all my Assisi days of yorn, have I ever seen as many people at the Basilica. Usually, I can just pop in and say hello to the founder of the largest order of holy people in the world. No lines, no waiting. But, this is Easter after all.

Again, the town is crowded with tourists and businesses seem to be booming for the first time since the Pandemic. So many restaurants shuttered during that time, some forever more. But, some have come back strong and ready for what existed pre-Covid. One of them, a special place owned by an American woman from.....Rutland, Vermont. 

I spent a lovely Thanksgiving dinner here at Nonna Nini in 2018. Sadly, it was closed when we returned in 2019, prior to the arrival of the Pandemic and it remained closed until recently. Traci, the owner, remembered me and was delighted to meet Joe this time. She's married to an Italian man so she gets to stay but she does have to become more official at some point. Becoming a citizen requires passing a language test and she's awaiting results. Her English is spoken with an Italian accent but she struggles with the use of the language. Go figure.

After a delightful meal and a few complimentary glasses of Prosecco, we had some time to chat with Traci and the lovely Sophie, our waitress who thought Joe was Italian and I, sadly, was not. Ahem, hello.....I'm the one speaking Italian here.....and my blue eyes are 100 % Italian. My grandmother's could not possibly have been bluer nor could my mother's.

One more day of tourists. Notice, I do not consider myself to be one........but you gotta think about the un-natural order of things for a moment. We're Americans, living in an Italian palazzo that was owned by a French scholar. We went to the Basilica of the patron saint of Italy, to a mass in English and then, to an Umbrian restaurant owned by an American woman who is married to an Italian man and serves fusion food cooked by her new Indian chef. 

My head is spinning now but not as hard as was the French washing machine in the bathroom here at the condo that is now apparently owned by an Italian woman who had some connection at some point in time to a French man.....who died.

Happy Easter bunnies!!