Easter in Naples

The procession is organized by the Confraternita dei Turchini, founded by the Jesuits in 1629. It sets off from Terra Murata, the old walled village at the top of the island, at first light, and winds down through the historic center to the port of Marina Grande. Trumpets and drums announce it; funeral marches follow.

The Misteri are the floats: around 30 scenes from the Old and New Testament, built by islanders from papier-mache, wood and recycled materials, and carried by roughly 2,000 people. The oldest statue in the procession, a wooden Dead Christ, was commissioned in 1728. Most of the modern floats date from a tradition that took shape from the 1940s.

On Holy Thursday a smaller procession comes first: the hooded Apostles of the Arciconfraternita dei Bianchi, a brotherhood founded in 1581, walk through the island's old center.

A dawn start and a ferry timetable do not mix. To see the floats leave Terra Murata, you need to be on Procida the night before, on Holy Thursday. Book a room early: the island is small and this is one of its busiest nights. If you cannot, the procession ends at Marina Grande, where the ferries dock, so an early boat gets you the second half.

For ports, operators and fares, see ferries to Capri, Ischia and Procida; operators publish holiday timetables closer to the date. Wear flat shoes, since the route drops steeply from Terra Murata, and stand aside for the float bearers.

Sorrento's Holy Week is famous for its hooded confraternities walking in silence, with choirs singing the Miserere. Two processions matter most:

• The white procession of the Arciconfraternita di Santa Monica starts at 3 a.m. in the night between Holy Thursday and Good Friday, so from 3 a.m. on March 26, 2027.
• The black procession of the Arciconfraternita della Morte starts at 8:30 p.m. on Good Friday, March 26.

Both pass along Corso Italia, the main street. The black procession is the easy one to see as a day tripper; the white one again means staying the night. See our Sorrento page for trains and ferries.

In the city, Easter is eaten. Two things appear in every bakery in Holy Week:

• Pastiera, the tart of cooked wheat, ricotta, eggs and orange flower water. Easter is its season, and many families bake their own.
• Casatiello, a rich ring-shaped bread with lard, cheese and salami, crowned with whole eggs held in place by strips of dough. It is Easter Monday picnic food.

If you want a Holy Week rite in the city, the Duomo and the churches of the Centro Storico hold the full liturgy. For something Neapolitan that is not on Easter, remember the spring rite of San Gennaro on May 1, 2027, five weeks later.

Hours change, so check each place. Pio Monte della Misericordia, with its Caravaggio, closes on Easter Sunday. In 2026 Cappella Sansevero instead stayed open late, to 8:30 p.m., from Good Friday to Easter Monday; its 2027 calendar was not out on September 30, 2026. On Easter Monday 2026 Castel Sant'Elmo opened as usual. Easter Monday is also a day when Neapolitans fill the parks and the seafront, so expect crowds outdoors. For the spring weather, see the best time to visit.