It is nice — and unsurprising — to know that in this period of reflection and prayer, Italians have never quite forgotten about their kitchens. And so, we learn that the  first Easter chocolate eggs were created in Turin in the 18th century: and it couldn’t be any different, when  you think this elegant city is one of Italy’s chocolate capitals (Perugia and Modica being the other two). 

Just a handful of kilometers south, in Genoa, quaresimali have been made with water, sugar and almond paste since before the 18th century, throughout Lent and for Easter. As it often happens for traditional sweet concoctions, it was local nuns who invented them.