Decorative casatiello is a traditional Easter bread. It is prepared with leavened dough, made with lard or olive oil, which is then filled with meat and cheese, rolled, and baked in a large ring mold. The stuffing is made with pork salumi, Italian-style cured meat, and diced semi-hard cheese.
Although the choice of meat is variable, Neapolitan salami, ham, prosciutto, and pancetta are the most common varieties. Before baking, casatiello is decorated with hard-boiled eggs which are put on top of the bread, then adorned with cross-shaped strips of dough.
This rustic bread is usually prepared for Easter and has a strong symbolic and religious importance for the Italians. The use of leavened bread symbolizes new life, the shape of the bread is a symbol of the crown of thorns, while the eggs illustrate the act of rebirth.