by InTrieste
Like many countries around the world, Italy marks April 1 with a host of harmless pranks in honor of April Fools’ Day, known locally as Pesce d’Aprile—or April’s Fish.
The peculiar moniker stems from the idea that the victim of a joke, much like a fish, takes the bait and is easily caught. While the precise origins of this tradition remain murky, some historians trace it back to the ancient Roman festival of Hilaria, which was celebrated with jesting and playful pranks.
One of the earliest recorded fish-related pranks is attributed to Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, who reportedly played a trick on the Roman general Mark Antony during a fishing contest. According to legend, fearing the embarrassment of losing to a woman, Antony enlisted a servant to secretly attach a fish to his hook. Cleopatra, aware of the ruse, responded by having a massive fake fish—covered in crocodile skin—attached to his line instead.
April Fools’ Day itself did not become a widespread custom in Europe until after 1582, when Pope Gregory XIII introduced the Gregorian Calendar. Before the shift, the French celebrated the New Year between March 25 and April 1. Those slow to adopt the new calendar continued to exchange gifts and celebrate in the old way, prompting others to mock them with absurd presents or hoax invitations. The phrase Poisson d’Avril—April Fish—became shorthand for such pranks and remains a staple of French April Fools’ traditions to this day.
Italy, however, did not fully embrace the holiday until the late 19th century, between 1860 and 1880. Genoa was the first Italian city to adopt the practice, with one of its most enduring tricks—secretly sticking a paper fish onto someone’s back—remaining popular nationwide.
One of the most famous April Fools’ hoaxes ever recorded involved Italy, though the prank itself originated from Britain. In 1957, the BBC aired a Panorama segment showing Swiss farmers harvesting freshly grown spaghetti from trees. The report was so convincing that viewers flooded the network with calls, eager to learn how they, too, could cultivate a pasta tree in their own garden.
Decades later, Pesce d’Aprile continues to be an annual fixture in Italy, proving that a well-executed prank—like a good pasta dish—is a tradition worth savoring.
