Easter in Rome is two very different days. Sunday is the city at its most crowded; Monday, Pasquetta, is when Romans leave town to eat outdoors. Both need a plan.
Book a table at ROSSO — Viale Aventino 32, by the Circus Maximus.
Easter Sunday: the centre belongs to the Vatican
The area around St Peter’s is closed to traffic and packed from early morning. If you are not going to the mass, stay east of the river: the Aventino, the Circus Maximus and the Terme di Caracalla are calm on that day and walkable end to end.
Restaurant kitchens open, mostly for lunch, mostly on a set menu. Dinner service is thinner than usual because the day peaks early.
Pasquetta: the Monday that empties the city
Easter Monday is a public holiday spent outdoors — traditionally a picnic, in practice a long lunch somewhere with tables outside. Rome itself becomes unusually pleasant: half the residents have left for the day.
It is the single best day of the spring to eat outside in the centre without booking three weeks ahead. Outdoor tables still go early, though.
What to eat, if you want the Roman version
Easter in Lazio means lamb — abbacchio — with artichokes and a slice of pizza di Pasqua, the cheese bread. It is a heavier lunch than the season suggests, and it is meant to be.
Our own kitchen runs the grill through the holiday, with Danish and Prussian beef at the same price, and the pizzeria in the evening. The list is on the dinner menu.
Book a table or call +39 342 189 9629. Kitchen open until midnight.
Where we are
Viale Aventino 32, two hundred metres from the Circus Maximus, with outdoor tables from breakfast at 8am. Open through the Easter weekend. Book online or call +39 342 189 9629.
If you are building a spring itinerary around the neighbourhood, eating outdoors in Rome covers the hours that work.
Frequently asked questions
Are restaurants open in Rome at Easter?
Yes, far more than at Christmas. Most open for lunch on Easter Sunday and through Pasquetta on the Monday.
What is Pasquetta?
Easter Monday, a public holiday. Romans traditionally spend it outdoors eating with friends. Expect outdoor tables to be busy and the city centre to be quieter than usual.
What do Italians eat at Easter?
In Rome, abbacchio — young lamb — with artichokes, plus pizza di Pasqua, a savoury cheese bread, and a colomba cake afterwards.
Do I need to book?
For Easter Sunday lunch, yes, a week or two ahead. For Pasquetta, book if you want to sit outside.
Is public transport running?
On a holiday timetable, both days. Metro B serves Circo Massimo, four minutes from us.
Book your table — open every day from 8am, kitchen until midnight, bar until 1am.
More practical questions — hours, parking, dogs, accessibility — in our FAQ.
