Here’s our roundup of ways to celebrate Easter in Florence 2026, from elaborate soirées and delicious dining to fun for all the family.
- Vignamaggio
- The St. Regis Florence
- The Excelsior Florence
- Villa La Massa
- Casa Ruffino
- Hotel Savoy Florence
- Scoppio del Carro
- Concerts
- Family fun
- Super picnic
- Religious services
Vignamaggio
Vignamaggio hosts a range of workshops and special meals to mark the occasion. On April 3, a workshop for children and adults invites you to unleash your creativity, decorate your own wooden Easter egg, and take it home with you, from 4-5pm and 5-6pm. Cost 15 euro. Celebrate Easter on April 5 with an à la carte menu featuring all the traditional seasonal dishes, or opt for the special Easter Tasting Menu. On Easter Monday, enjoy a lunch for the whole family with grilled specialties from the Fattoria, and little ones will adore an Easter egg hunt with the magical entertainment of Tarumba from 3.30-5.30pm. The activity costs 10 euro per child.
T: + 39 348 7797630
The St. Regis Florence
Treat yourself and your family to an unforgettable Easter celebration in the stunning setting of the Winter Garden, accompanied by soft live music. Indulge in an exquisite six-course menu featuring seasonal traditions and refined Italian specialties, reinterpreted with contemporary excellence. From midday on April 5, enjoy a menu that includes among its tantalizing offerings, green lasagnetta with white meat ragù, spring truffle and 24-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano cream, and a divine dessert of Zeppolina with pastry cream and amarena cherrie. 180 euro per person.
T: 055 2716 3770
Email: restaurant.stregis@stregis.com
The Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Florence
Celebrate Easter with an exclusive lunch at Cosimo, the most iconic rooftop in Florence. Begin with a refined aperitif of gourmet finger food and Ruinart Champagne overlooking the Duomo and Fiesolan hills. To follow, the view shifts to the Oltrarno panorama as the experience continues with an à la carte lunch of our finest spring specialties. The welcome aperitif costs 55 euro per person, with a complimentary aperitif for children up to 13 years old, including a soft drink.
T: 055 2715 2783
Email: reservations@cosimorestaurant.com
Villa La Massa
Celebrate Easter Sunday by the River Arno with the finest Tuscan hospitality and dining at the beautiful Villa La Massa. Holy Mass will be held at 12.15pm in the private chapel (optional), with a traditional Easter brunch at Il Verrocchio Restaurant including artisanal Villa d’Este colomba cake. You can also choose your own chocolate egg and enjoy the live music, with a Kids’ Club entertaining little ones. At 2pm, a children’s Easter Egg Hunt adds to the sense of occasion. 115 euro per person, drinks included; 75 euro for children under 12.
T: 055 62611
Email: reservations@villalamassa.it
Casa Ruffino
A ‘Lazy Easter’ event in the garden of Casa Ruffino will be held from 11am to 3pm on April 6, with a delicious Sunday brunch costing 65 euro. A food buffet includes sweet treats like pancakes and french toast, with salted options also on offer, including a spring salad with puntarelle, asparagus, peas, and fresh marzolino cheese from Mugello. A cooking show and Easter eggs are also part of the offering, with a wine station proposing Aqua di Venus, Riserva Ducale Chianti Classico Riserva DOCG, and Modus Toscana IGT.
Art + cocktails at Hotel Savoy Florence
On April 5, the Irene Restaurant at Hotel Savoy in piazza della Repubblica hosts a special Easter brunch designed by Fulvio Pierangelini. Combining a refined buffet and table-served dishes, savour spring flavours like puntarelle salad, chickpea and shrimp soup, along with traditional specialties such as soft eggs with hollandaise and seasonal truffles, and lamb with roast potatoes. An Italian dessert buffet is the perfect finale.
This spring, Hotel Savoy Florence, a Roccoforte Hotel, celebrates the artistic legacy of Mark Rothko with a new cocktail menu titled Maestro of Colors, launching March 14 to coincide with the Rothko exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi. Created by Bar Manager Federico Galli for the intimate Bar Artemisia, a mixology space envisioned by Salvatore Calabrese, the menu pays tribute to Rothko’s iconic paintings through visually striking cocktails that echo his bold color palettes and artistic spirit. The four drinks – Red Horizon, Nocturne Vermillon, Golden Silence, and Milky Light – combine carefully selected ingredients and vibrant hues to blend contemporary art with signature mixology.
Traditions
One of the most anticipated moments is the Scoppio del Carro (Explosion of the Cart), which gathers large crowds in piazza del Duomo at 11am on Easter Sunday. The event features the traditional “flight of the dove” followed by a spectacular fireworks display. According to tradition, the origins of the Scoppio del Carro date back to Pazzino de’ Pazzi. After returning from the Crusades in 1099, he brought back several flint stones from the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. These stones were later used in Florence to ignite the Easter Saturday celebrations. Over time, the ceremony moved to Easter Sunday, and Florentines created a grand ceremonial cart that is still escorted through the city by guards wearing historic costumes.
Family fun
A giant picnic (with free entry if you register by April 2) is the ideal way to spend Pasquetta. Taking place in the Ippodromo del Visarno on April 6, “the biggest picnic in Italy” is set to see a Car Bazar, street food, music, sport and much more. It promises to be a fun way to mark the occasion!
The Children’s Lending Library, located in the undercroft of St. James’ Church (via Bernardo Rucellai 9), hosts an Easter Party from 4-6pm on March 28, with crafts, Easter egg painting, games, a raffle, face painting, storytime, a books and toys sale and a bake sale. Members 3 euro per family, non members 5 euro per family.
Concerts
Orchestra della Toscana performs an Easter concert in Teatro Verdi at 9pm on April 2, conducted by Min Gyu Song, an award-winning South Korean conductor. The programme includes Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 5 in A major, K. 219, with soloist Simon Zhu. The closing performance is Beethoven’s Symphony No. 8 in F major, Op. No. 93.
Easter religious services
St James Episcopal Church (via Bernardo Rucellai 9) celebrates Holy Wednesday Mass at 7pm on April 1 in the Tenebrae in the Chancel. Maundy Thursday, Holy Eucharist, and the Stripping of Altars take place at 7pm on April 2. Good Friday is at noon and 7pm on April 3, with the Solemn Liturgy on the Afternoon of the Passion and Death of the Lord. Holy Saturday Mass is at 7pm on April 4. At 11am on April 5, Easter Day Mass of the Resurrection, a choir with brass accompaniment followed by an Easter Egg Hunt in the Churchyard.
Santi Apostoli Catholic Church (piazza del Limbo 1) holds English language services. Mass of the Lord’s Supper is at 6pm on Holy Thursday. The Celebration of the Passion is at 6pm on Good Friday. The Procession with the Stones of the Holy Sepulchre to the Duomo on Easter Vigil takes place at 9pm on April 4, with Easter Vigil Mass at Santi Apostoli in Italian and English at 10pm. Easter Sunday Mass in English is at 10.15am. See online for Mass times in Italian.
St Mark’s English Church (via Maggio 16) marks Palm Sunday with a choral Eucharist at 10.30am on March 29. Holy Eucharist and Stripping of the Altar for Maundy Thursday commences at 7pm on April 2. On Good Friday, the Church is open for prayer from midday to 2pm, with a guided reflection and music from 2-3pm. Easter Sunday will be celebrated with a choral Eucharist at 10.30am, followed by refreshments. Bring and share lunch takes place at midday on April 19 following the main service.
