Easter Sunday is a very big day in Florence, because they do the “Scoppio Del Carro”, which dates back 350 years.

Easter in Florence, Italy is a very special time.

People are getting ready for the Solemn religious processions that are held on the Friday and Saturday before Easter.

Scoppio del Carro

In front of the Duomo they display a 3-story cart pulled by oxen. It’s decorated very elaborately and then "explodes" - its fireworks, at least - at the end of procession.

Meanwhile in America...

In America, things are a lot smaller. In every city there is mass and then usually a community wide Easter egg hunt.

An Easter egg hunt consists of small pastel colored eggs hidden throughout the town square and hundreds of kids with baskets frantically running around to retrieve the eggs filled with small candies. It’s quite fun, until you’ve turned 12.

I love Easter in the states because everything is covered in pastels and pretty. It’s also a really good time to attend church, similar to Italian Easter.

Although, there is no explosion of any cart there are still many celebrations like Easter egg hunts, lots of pastel colored pastries, and the Easter bunny comes and hides a basket in your house that you have to find.

Easter in Florence, at Alessi

At Enoteca Alessi the entire shop is filled with giant chocolate eggs and candies shaped like bunnies, carrots, chicks and so much more.

It’s a very fun time at Enoteca Alessi because you can go in looking for a good bottle of wine and leave with a giant chocolate egg too!

Giant chocolate eggs...

The eggs hang from the ceiling throughout the store and line some of the walls in the shop. Enoteca Alessi is so close to the Duomo that the celebration for them is even bigger.

Although, they are closed the weekend of Easter, so fulfill your chocolate egg needs before then!