This year I spent my first Pasqua – Easter – in Rome. It was a feast that began on Sunday morning, continuing on into the late afternoon of Pasquetta – Easter Monday.

Driving down to Rome on the day before Easter, we checked into the Hotel Selva Candida and promptly went out for a fabulous Roman pizza. I love the pizzas you get in Rome; the crust is thin and they taste quite exceptional.

On Easter Sunday morning we arrived downstairs at our hotel to be greeted by Francesco, the owner/manager, to a traditional Pasqua breakfast buffet.

This fantastic spread consisted of corallina salami, various cheeses – including my favourite pecorino – sweet and savoury breads, hard boiled eggs, a slab of ricotta and an amazing looking bready cake called casatiello that came complete with built-in hardboiled eggs.

Arriving later that morning at the home of Allie and Maurizio, our…