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Notes from Verona

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Celebrating Easter in Tuscany

4/29/2019

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Easter in Tuscany - Homemade easter indulgence
There is a popular saying in Italian: “Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi“.  In other words, Christmas is a time for the family, but you can spend Easter with whoever you like. In reality, for most Italians Easter is generally spent with the family. But unlike in the UK, where the schools take a two-week break, here the most you can normally hope for is a long weekend (or 'Ponte' as the Italians like to call it). 

That wasn't the case this year, as Easter fell late and ran into the annual 25 April Liberation Day holiday. The authorities, in their infinite wisdom, extended the spring break from Giovedì Santo (Maundy Thursday) up to and including Liberation Day. An unprecedented spring week off!

For us it was the perfect opportunity to get on the road and head for the mountains of the Garfagnana, to spend Easter in Tuscany,
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Passo delle Radici, the high mountain pass, which connects Emilia and Tuscany, leading to the heart of Garfagnana
With the formalities and indulgences of Easter dispensed with, Italians generally spend Pasquetta (Easter Monday) in the countryside with friends enjoying a typical barbecue or picnic. 

As a regular visitor to Garfagnana, I've long been planning an excursion with Wild Trails, a local tour company that organises hiking trips and adventures in the hills, valleys and mountains of the region. Pasquetta seemed like the ideal opportunity to finally do so.

In truth, the Pasquetta detox tour that we signed up for wasn't so much an adventure as a leisurely amble around the forests, gentle hills and remote villages of the Val di Lima. 
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Hiking in Garfagnana
But, with an engaging guide and a simple picnic (I can't believe I forgot the wine), it was a pleasant way to spend Easter Monday and offered a tantalising glimpse of what this remote and unspoilt region has to offer.
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Easter in Tuscany, trekking in the Val di Lima
Next time we might be a little more adventurous. And I'll remember to pack the wine!
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    About

    Richard Hough writes about history, football, wine, whisky, culture + travel and is currently working on a trilogy about wartime Verona. 

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    Author of Notes from Verona, a short collection of diary entries from inside locked down Italy and Rita's War, a true story of resistance and heroism set in wartime Italy.

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  • Home
  • caffè
  • Pranzo
    • Osteria Abazia
    • Osteria La Tradisiòn
    • Osteria a la carega
    • Ostregheteria Sottoriva 23
  • Birra
  • Calcio
    • Match tickets
    • The Crazy Faithful
  • archivio
  • Libri