HOLY WEEK 2014 IN ITALY

The Holy Week is an important period in Italy's calendar. Actually, I am a bit late as it started a couple of days ago with Palm Sunday, but... better late than never. 
There are plenty of ceremonies and events in every town and village and you do not need to be a Catholic or even a believer to attend. In the spirit of Pope Francis, everyone is welcome.
I found this interesting blog and post about Easter 2014 Florence
And if you are in Rome, there are plenty of ceremonies to be attended, but you will also find them everywhere.
Enjoy! 

Although it was Palm Sunday, where in the UK kids get palm fronds folded into a cross; in Italy everyone gets an Olive branch that has been blessed; I wonder why the difference.

Palms are more difficult to come by here, but there are loads of olives and they use them for everything else! In the UK, well there is neither and it's likely the cheapest to import!!!

Here we get plaited palms and Bordighera has the honour of providing the palms for Palm Sunday celebrations at the Vatican every year. You can see what they send here

I agree with Steve's explanation, Flip. Some areas haven't got palm trees and olive trees or other type of greeneries are widely available. Italy and Spain sell a lot of weaved palms overseas and Latin American countries are also producing them for export; however, they aren not cheap. You can bring your own palm or branch to be blessed or you can collect one at your nearest church. My lovely neighbour always keeps one for us in Bagni. It is traditional to keep the palm or branch in a prominent place at home for the whole year. Sometimes you can see them hanging from balconies or above the entrance door.