Easter holidays in Italy 2024: 10 ideas for a top holiday

Looking for the best tourist attractions and destinations to visit to spend Easter holidays 2024 in Italy? This year, Easter 2024 falls on Sunday 31 March, so mid-spring is a great time to organise holidays and out-of-town trips. Many Italians spend the first bridge of the year admiring the many artistic and scenic beauties that Italy has to offer.

A famous proverb says: 'Christmas with your folks and Easter with whoever you want'. The Christmas period, with its cold air and 'warm' home atmosphere, invites many to spend festive moments with family and relatives, but Easter, with its beautiful days and mild temperatures, brings to everyone the desire to spend days outdoors in the open air.

If your question is where to go for Easter holidays 2024 in Italy, follow our selection of attractions.

Let's take a look at the best destinations for Easter in Italy for a fantastic holiday. We have selected the 10 best destinations in cities and regions that for various reasons are great choices for families with children, young people and couples for the Easter holidays.

What better occasion than the Easter holidays in Italy 2024 to get to know Pesaro the Italian capital of culture next year? Pesaro, in the Marche region, is the birthplace of the famous composer Gioachino Rossini, whose house can still be visited, but the city is also rich in monuments and artifacts from the Roman age.

Discover Pesaro like a local, it is one of the most bike-friendly cities in Italy, and is in fact surrounded by a network of cycle paths that will take you to the beautiful inland landscapes or the splendid beaches on the Adriatic, perfect for a spring trip.

Worth visiting in the center is the beautiful Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta and not very far from it, somewhat hidden, Palazzo Mosca, which houses the Civic Museum, the Pinacoteca and the Ceramics Museum.
Also not to be missed is the archaeological museum, but the real heart of Pesaro is Piazza del Popolo surrounded by three of the main buildings of the city: Palazzo Ducale, Palazzo Municipale and the Piaggeria.

A little outside the center is the imposing Rocca Costanza, with its massive round towers and moat. Today it hosts exhibitions and cultural events.

One of the most iconic symbols of Pesaro is the Sfera Grande, a famous contemporary artwork by the sculptor Pomodoro. It's located in Piazzale della Libertà, where you can also see another monument, of a completely different kind: villino Ruggeri. This elegant building is one of the most important examples of Art Nouveau in Italy.

Mantua UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2008, the Lombard city was the birthplace of the poet Virgil and later, in the Renaissance, of the powerful Gonzaga family who made it rich, powerful and splendid.

Today it's an art city to be known absolutely for its palaces and museums, but also for the three artificial lakes that surround it and for the Mincio river, which with its boats will offer you some beautiful, unusual views of the city.

A holiday in Mantua must certainly include a visit to the complex of the Palazzo Ducale and the Castle of San Giorgio, where you can also enjoy one of the most important masterpieces of art, the frescoes in the Camera degli Sposi, made by Mantegna. Imposing and majestic, Palazzo Te is surely worth a visit as well, together with the beautiful Loggia delle Peschiere which is a short distance away.
A walk through the streets of Mantua like a local will certainly also take you to the Cathedral, with the Gonzaga family's graves, or to the House of the Merchant, which stands out for its facade that recalls Venetian architecture. The Clock Tower is a must see too, with a beautiful astronomical clock and a museum dedicated to time.

Mantua is also home to the Bibiena scientific theatre, which  bears its unusual name because it has been used for both shows and scientific experiments over the last three centuries.

Culture, art, landscapes, food and wine. Umbria, the green heart of Italy, is a small region with so much to offer.

You can take advantage of the Easter holidays to get to know some of its most beautiful villages, made even more magical by the suggestion of Easter traditions.

Start your mini tour in Spoleto, for example, with its marvelous cathedral and the panoramas of the Rocca Albornoziana which dominates the green valley that extends at its feet.

From here, you can reach Todi in less than an hour, for an authentic journey through time. The main square, in fact, butactually the whole historic centre, have preserved the characteristics of a medieval town almost intact. Todi also has extraordinary viewpoints that will make you fall in love with Umbria even more.

Dedicate a day to the very pretty village of Spello too, known for its summer flower festival, but is an authentic paradise even in spring. It's located very close to Assisi, a must-see for its countless art treasures or even for the evocative Holy Friday procession.

Finally, you can end your mini tour in the city of madmen, Gubbio. It's another wonderful and perfectly preserved medieval village, with alleys and historic buildings surrounding the main square. Piazza Grande hosts the majestic Palazzo dei Consoli and Palazzo del Podestà, but it's also a magnificent panoramic terrace. Gubbio is beautiful from above too, you can enjoy the view thanks to the Colle Eletto cableway which leads up to the basilica of Sant'Ubaldo.

For a different holiday than usual, you could think of an Easter holiday in Italy 2024 on a mountain top. And what better mountain, in Italy, than the King of the Alps? Mont Blanc, with its 4807 meters of height is the roof of Europe and among the seven highest mountains in the world.

Fortunately, you don't need to be an expert mountaineer to enjoy the majestic beauty of this rock giant. You can stop in the pretty town of Courmayeur, for example, a well-known winter destination surrounded by amazing valleys that are perfect in spring for walking or for a bike ride.

This lively town retains its mountain village atmosphere, and here you will find everything you could wish for, for a completely relaxing Easter. This includes hotels, restaurants and shops, but you can also easily reach the famous Mont Blanc Skyway cable car.

Among spectacular views, in a few minutes you'll reach Punta Helbronner, at 3,466 meters. Here you can choose whether to enjoy a regenerating walk or to challenge your limits by paragliding down to the valley.
Also not to be missed are the intermediate stations, where you can hop off to visit an extraordinary botanical garden, or perhaps the highest bookshop in Europe, without forgetting the interesting crystals museum.

Ravenna is a small city in Emilia Romagna, with a glorious past that has turned it into an extraordinary treasure chest of art.

Capital of three empires, the Western Roman one, that of the Goths and that of Byzantium, Ravenna is a UNESCO heritage site and is famous in particular for its wonderful mosaics, but also for being the place where Dante Alighieri lived his last years. In fact, there is the tomb of the great poet, in town, and a museum dedicated to him.

The historic center is a succession of unmissable monuments, such as the Baptistery of the Orthodox or the early Christian basilica of San Vitale. Also not to be missed is the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, or the Baptistery of the Arians. All to be visited for the spectacular mosaics of the Byzantine era.

Speaking of mosaics, the Domus of Stone Carpets is another destination you just cannot miss. This underground archaeological site is famous for its floors covered with magnificent marble mosaics.

Different, but equally fascinating, the Mausoleum of Theodoric has an austere appearance and massive volumes. Its extraordinary dome is remarkable because it's made up of a single block of stone 10 meters in diameter.

Just outside the city there's one of the largest existing early Christian basilicas, that of Sant'Apollinare in Classe. Given the proximity to the coast and the constant attacks from the sea, the church dedicated to the saint was rebuilt in the centre; it is Sant'Apollinare Nuovo and is located not far from the station.

About the sea, Easter 2023 would not be complete without the classic Easter Monday trip out of town. Some ten kilometers from Ravenna you will find the Adriatic coast with its beaches, lively bars and wonderful panoramas.

Furthermore, for the joy of the kids, a few kilometers away from the center of Ravenna there is one of the largest theme parks in Italy.

Find out about the Ravenna Pass❯

Sardinia, a typically summer destination, is actually perfect for a spring holiday too. For Easter in Italy 2024, visit the east coast, where Orosei is located, it's a small town surrounded by extraordinary natural beauty. With its coast and Mount Gennargentu behind it, this area is a regional park where nature just shows off.

On the beaches and from the more or less secluded small bays you will be able to enjoy the vision of an uncontaminated sea, with incredible colours. There are also many hiking paths, some more difficult than others, but all able to offer you unforgettable panoramic views.

Equally exciting are the archaeological finds that you can visit in this area, such as the Rampinu nuraghe and the village of Sa Linnarta.

The small historic center of Orosei is instead dotted with churches and during the Holy Week there are various events, evocative traditions that have their roots in the distant past. Also interesting is the small Don Nanni Giuso museum, dedicated to miniature theatres.

A beautiful lake divided between Piedmont and Lombardy, but which also borders on Switzerland, Lake Maggiore is worth a visit in every season of the year. In spring, however, it's vibrant with life and color and is an ideal destination for relaxing during the long Easter 2023 weekend.

Along its banks there are many picturesque villages to visit, and lush nature where you can regenerate or practice sports.

Among the unmissable places is the Hermitage of Santa Caterina del Sasso, clinging to the rock ridge, overlooking the water on the Lombardy side. On this bank, the village of Laveno is also not to be missed, with its characteristic tourist port, many hiking paths and the cable car that reaches the viewpoint of Poggio Sant'Elsa.

The Piedmont's shore is also extraordinarily rich. Among the villages to visit Stresa is the most famous, not only for its extraordinary beauty, but also because it's the perfect starting point for visiting the Borromean Islands. This small archipelago of four islands will enchant you with flower gardens, fishing villages and beautiful noble villas.

Borromee Islands tour❯

If you've never seen Alberobello with its trulli, Easter holiday in Italy 2024 is definitely the right opportunity to make up for it. This village in the heart of Puglia is famous for its small white houses with cone-shaped roofs, once the residence of farmers, today original local attractions. Some trulli are inhabited, some house souvenir shops, others have been transformed into hotels. The so-called sovereign trullo, on the other hand, is the only one with two floors and is used as a museum.

Strolling through the streets and districts, among around 1600 trulli, is truly an experience to do at least once, but a holiday in Alberobello will offer you the opportunity to get to know another beautiful Puglia's village: Locorotondo. The historic center is a maze of small streets and whitewashed buildings, with several churches to visit, typical restaurants and craft shops. It's easily reached by regional trains in just over ten minutes.

Finally, from Alberobello, the sea is only about twenty kilometers away. The stretch of coast south of Monopoli is beautiful, and also hosts the Regional Park of the Coastal Dunes.

Guided tour of Alberobello❯

In Sicily, among flowering almond trees and centuries-old olive trees, there is an ancient place of incredible charm. It is the Valley of the Temples, one of the largest archaeological sites in the world, and UNESCO heritage, where it's possible to visit the ruins of eight temples, almost all perfectly preserved despite their venerable age of about 2500 years.

The marvel of the centuries-old ruins blends with that of a landscape of great beauty, also protected, and which forms the perfect setting for a travel experience that will remain in your heart.

The site is located less than 3 km from the charming historic center of Agrigento, once one of the major cities of Magna Graecia, whose glorious past is also testified by the numerous finds that can be visited in its archaeological museum.

Furthermore, spending the Easter holiday in Italy 2024 holidays in Agrigento, you'll get the chance to visit Realmonte. Here's where an authentic spectacle of nature known as the Scala dei Turchi awaits you. It's a long stretch of white limestone rock sculpted by the wind to form a large staircase leading directly to the sea. When the sun goes down it turns pink, offering sunsets that take your breath away.

Explore the Valley of the Temples❯

Sorrento is the perfect destination for the Easter holiday in Italy 2024 because it's a small treasure chest with a bit of everything inside. It's a bustling little town where you can find wonderful corners to relax between the scent of citrus fruits and the colors of bougainvillea. However, here you will also find trendy shops, restaurants where you can taste the excellent local cuisine, or theaters and clubs for a night.

Among the beautiful 19th-century buildings and the artisans' workshops, there is no shortage of important art treasures, such as those kept in the Correale museum, where you can find, for example, the masterpieces of the masters of the Posillipo school, while the archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum are only a handful of kilometers away.

Sorrento is also the ideal starting point for visiting Capri, Ischia and Procida, the pearls of the Gulf of Naples, but also for unforgettable excursions along one of the most spectacular coastal roads in the world which will lead you from Sorrento to the most beautiful destinations on the Amalfi coast, such as Positano and Ravello. If you feel like walking, however, there is the Path of the Gods, one of the many hikingpaths in this area, and one that will gift you views of incomparable beauty.

Capri tour from Sorrento❯