Jo Caruana meets two foreigners, who have made Malta their home, to discover the Easter traditions they have brought with them – from colourful egg hunts to cakes topped in marzipan.

Patti Piazzi with her husband Giuseppe.

Patti Piazzi, originally from Southeast Asia, and her Italian husband Giuseppe live in Gozo, where they run boutique home-hotel Thirtyseven in Munxar.

“Easter is a very special time and, for me, it is highlighted by chocolate, colours and, above all, spring.

I remember growing up in Asia as a child. In countries such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur, my parents would take us on a tour of the hotel lobbies with the most elaborate Easter decorations. This included huge chocolate eggs, ornately decorated by the chief chocolatier, vases full of flowers in a kaleidoscope of colours, and thousands of little chicks dyed pink, pale blue and orange – chirping through the gardens!

As children, we were amazed at the sight of it all, and we would often be given a little chick to take home. We would even make bright woolly pom-poms and tie them together to look like chicks. So, to my mind, Easter is fluffy, soft and very endearing.

At home, my mother would prepare coloured eggs; boiled and painted. We would then have an Easter egg hunt in our garden, and it would seem so exciting to find a little coloured egg instead of chocolate ones – in the tropics, it wasn’t the best idea to hide chocolate among the orchids and banana trees in the heat!

To my mind, Easter is fluffy, soft and very endearing

To this day, the Easter tradition I hold most dear is the sending of Easter cards – even more so today, when we constantly get short messages through our various technologies. A card is a lovely way to send a ‘hello’ and to bring a smile to someone’s face, as well as to remind them you have them in your heart.

When Giuseppe and I got married and moved to Italy, I remember Easter lunch was always spent at my mother-in-law’s house. It would be a lovely, lazy lunch, surrounded by friends and family. Maria, my mother-in-law, was an excellent cook and she would bring out dish after dish of scrumptious fare – homemade tortellini as small as a button, and lamb with roast potatoes, cooked in a pottery pot for hours with special herbs and wine.

Meanwhile, my mother, Judy, has her own secret for the perfect Easter touch – a gigot cooked in the traditional French style, with proper flageolet beans, followed by a delicious raspberry tart with a paper-thin crust and whipped cream on top.

Since moving to Gozo, I have developed a deep love of the island at this time of the year – it is absolutely stunning and reminds me of the Bali fields, with its green expanses, wild flowers and huge tufts of grass. I never cease to be in awe on my walks with our dogs, Harry and Coco, and Giuseppe and I enjoy every moment of it.

We feel so blessed and fortunate to have moved here, and Thirtyseven seems to make us just as happy as it makes our guests! Easter lunch is always fun – with a gigot and a special dessert, as well as our yearly colomba (a traditional Italian Easter cake). We have a full house this season, so there will also be an Easter hunt organised for the guests – it’s a very special season and we certainly like to enjoy it to the full!”

Reverend Simon Godfrey, Canon of the Anglican Pro-Cathedral of St Paul.

Reverend Simon Godfrey, the Canon of the Anglican Pro-Cathedral of St Paul in Valletta, has lived in Malta for the past few years and will be celebrating three Easter Masses on the day – as well as eating a very British-style leg of lamb!

“Easter is the very central core of Christian belief. After all, without faith in the resurrection, there is no salvation. Thus, Easter means everything to us. And, while I cannot speak for the Protestant and non-conformist churches, there is little or no difference liturgically and spiritually when it comes to the Anglican and Catholic churches.

Holy Week and Easter are such busy times, and the church will have a packed calendar of Lenten observances. In Britain, the Easter period is typified by chocolate eggs, rabbits and chicks, which, just like here in Malta, are popularly exchanged among friends and family. There, a simnel cake is often baked and eaten at Easter, with 11 marzipan balls topping it to represent the 11 faithful disciples.

There are a few things we do different here too. The Good Friday processions, with their static displays and tableaux vivants, are totally new, and I find them very moving.

A simnel cake is often baked and eaten at Easter, with 11 marzipan balls topping it to represent the 11 faithful disciples

I will be celebrating three Easter Masses on the day, and enjoying a traditional Easter Day lunch. To me, roast lamb is the only acceptable Easter dish around – a leg stabbed with lots of garlic and rosemary, with flageolet beans simmered in a tomato and olive oil sauce, with baby boiled potatoes. It will be followed by an apricot crumble accompanied by real custard made with cream and eggs – and I am very much looking forward to it!”