Not only is Sunday Easter, Monday is a national holiday. Many towns I am told have dances or free concerts, kind of a big after lent party. Because of the two day holiday, most of the stores and restaraunts are closed. I didnt want to take my normal sunday trip somewhere, i didnt know if i could get gas or food along the way. Instead I walked down to the main town square and church of Villia Castelli. It was the most busy i have ever seen it. People were lined up at all three open church doors. I read about a ravine in villa castelli. The town was built around it so i thought i would go expore it. The Gravina di Villa Castelli has been turned into a beautiful public park. Wonderful stone walls and path ways on both sides. The floor to the ravine was wide and paved in stone older than the newer walls and paths down to the bottom. It felt like i was walking on an old roman road.

Easter in Italy is a multi day event. Thursday and Friday many of the towns churchs have solemn religious processions where a statue of Mary or Jesus are carried from the church to the town square and back. Some are more elaborate than others. I saw one procession on palm sunday a week before easter and one on friday night on the way home from dinner in Grottalgie. Sunday is normally a big family dinner day, easter sunday has even more importance. Since Easter is the end of the Lent, food plays a big part. I saw whole lambs, goats, and pigs hanging in the meat shops this week. In the stores there were large hollow chocolate easter eggs with gifts inside and specialty easter bread and cakes in boxes to give as gifts.