Anyone in northern Italy?

[miao]

or more precisely the Milan/Monza area?

monolocale without windows, wow!!! I used to live behind colonne di san lorenzo, and worked near the darsena (and had lots of aperitivi after work).
but monza is supposed to be a very nice place to live, so I think you made the right choice. and there's a huge park!

I was the aperitivo queen in my single days, always used to stop off at a bar or two on my way home from work, fill my face with all the food on offer and not have to make dinner when I got back! I used to walk home through Navigli and always bumped into someone I knew along the way and stop off for a drink or two, once I didn't get back till 5am . Ah for the old, single, pre kids days.... I bet you miss the apertivo culture, I know I do and I'm only down the road. They don't seem to do the big spreads here, must be something to do with the famous Brianzolo stinginess.

Don't you miss not having to rush out before the pubs shut? Mind you, with DD around I hardly ever go out nowadays anyway, so I probably would never notice the difference if I ever moved back .

Lucky you living behind the colonne, did you have a view over the square?

Hey Brangelina nearly neighbour!Meda's only about 20 mins away (depending on traffic)from Monza,nearest bigger town is Seregno which is quite nice.I would like to live in Monza compared to here as at least its good some bilingual schools and stuff.You work in Monza or Milan?what dc's you have?
Aperitivi were the best bit about working in Milan.Exploit, just near the Colonne was one of my old haunts!ah memories!!

Ah right, I know where Seregno is, even went there once for a hen night. I work from home at the moment, used to work in Cinisello, which originally prompted me to look for houses down this way as it used to be a long hike every day from Milan.

What bilingual schools are there in Monza? Do you mean the International School? I went to see a bilingual nursery but it wasn't very impressive, they just did nursery rhymes and songs in English which I do anyway, so I didn't see the point of spending the extra money. I'm not sure I'd want to put my DD (just the one BTW, 18mo) in an international school at such an early age, but then that depends on whether we get a place in a scuola materna statale, as otherwise I'd have to send her to a religious one and that's something I'd prefer to avoid. That's one thing I regret about having moved out here, there are not enough schools and there's not much choice. Where I used to live we had a Steiner preschool down the road and I'd have loved to send her to one of those.

Do you just have the one DD? How old is she? Does she go to school yet?

Hi from venice, Just seen this thread been chatting to ERY71 on another.
Califrau agree with your thoughts on Vicenza only stopped there a few times but diddn't like it. Did you like Arezzo ?I loved that area and spent a few years that way based in Montepulciano.
Brangelina I heard that Monza was a good place to live and as Ery 71 said had some bi lingual schools we have one here on the mainland but am unsure about sending dd there as i went to a school out of my area and all my friends were miles away but thats a few yrs off for dd yet :

Exploit, of course! No I didn't have a view on the square but I could see Sant'Ambrogio from one window and la Madunina from another (if I leaned forward, that is).
It's also tru about the navigli, you also end up bumping into someone you know. ah, memories. the good thing about going back is that we stay at my parents and therefore have lots of free babysitting...

yes,the International one.My dd is 2.5,starting local, not private/not council Materna in Septemeber.Opted for that as there is no choice,as you say, and at least she (and me and dh) might meet some more folk from the area.There is a Montessori school in Como which I would have loved her to go to,but too far distance wise.
You have italian dh/dp ?
Hi again Rosa!!

Rosa, do you actually live in Venice? I didn't think real people still lived there, only film stars and captains of industry .

I agree with you about the schools, I also went to a different school further away and ended up having no friends locally.

There is a steiner school in Milan, Brangelina, the one where Berlusconi (well his wife) used to send his children.
I wouldn't worry about not getting a place in a scuola materna statale, as far as I know it's pretty easy to get a place. At least in northern italy. scuole materne are also usually of very good quality... I know it's very scary to send your children to school in a foreign country (it's what I'm going through at the moment), especially when the system is so different...

Yes I have an Italian DP and an Italian SS. My DD is bilingual. Well, she understands everything I say but the only real words she says in English are Daddy, booby, yummy and happy, everything else so far has been in Italian. Oh well, at least they're positive words!

I think in Milan itself its more difficult these days to get a guarantee place in the actual school you want, in your area. They might give you a place but miles from where you live.We are lucky out of town as the comune is basically oblidged to take all kids from their own town first and other comune's kids afer.

Franca, it must be strange sending your child to an English school, it would be strange to me as everything's changed so much since I went and the methods now seem very odd. Are you going to still be in the UK for secondary schooling? Would you be worried about A levels not being equivalent to the Maturità?

I'm not at all worried about sending DD to an Italian school, I'd just prefer her not to go to a religious one, which seems to be the choice for scuola materna here in Monza unless you're lucky enough to get in the laica one.

I know the Steiner school in Milan, well, I know one of them (there are 3 I think now). The scuola materna was about 4 doors down from where I used to live and had I stayed there I'd probably hve tried to get her into that. I didn't know Berlusca sent his kids there, non è roba di sinistra piuttosto che centro destra? Apologies, couldn't figure out how to say that properly in English, it's all going to pot now.

ds started school in January (local state school). It's a lovely school and I really hope he will love going to school as much as I used to. I'm trying not to think about secondary school...
Things have changed so much in Italy since the day I completed my education, and for the worse, it seems. I didn;t know there are so many problems about getting into the school of your choice, must ask my friends, whose children are now at schhol age. Since now, they've always been quite happy... boh!
Yes, steiner seems to be piu' una cosa di sinistra, but it was his wife's choice, I believe.

LOL at Califrau re: people from Vicenza!!I've never been there, but have relatives in treviso and Udine and I was shocked at reception my daughter and I got from all the other mums when we took a stroll in the piazza!! and I thought people from Perugia (where I come from) were grumpy!!

BTW, ciao Franca70, ciao ellbell come state? remember me? I have changed my name as I am not so useless anymore - in fact I am an absolute pro now... not!!! I have disappeared for quite a while but I am back now!!

ciao notsouseless now Pipp! . How are you? I have family relatives in treviso too! so, where have you been all this time?
Rosa5 do you live in venice?

been nowhere actually. just tried to stay away from the computer for a while and catch up with DH and books TBH. then just lost the habit. kind of detox really. how's life? still translating?
have you been home for Xmas?
another thing, do your children watch italian cartoons?

I detoxed over xmas (we were in Italy) but got back into habit . Yes I'm still translating. I was paid over Christmas, but the guy gave me other chapters that he hadn't included the first time round. I hope to finish by the end of the month, and have more time for dd, who is going to nursery 4 days a week at the moment. I'm planning to cut back to three. She loves it, but I miss her.
mmmm they don't watch many cartoons in Italian, the odd disney dvd (sometimes they want to watch it in italian, others in english) and a big hit has always been la pimpa. Mind you that over christmans I saw Lady Oscar at Ricordi and was very tempted to buy some dvds (obviously not for the children but for me!)

that's why I asked! Now that I have DD I have the excuse of spending entire mornings rewatching all the cartoons we grew up on (which you will agree are undoubtly the best!!) at the moment is Anna dai Capelli rossi, i have done Heidi and Pippi which is the only one DD absolutely adores: she is glued to the screen the minute pippi comes on (hence the new name). but I am trying to get lady oscar, mimi, candy etc

do I sound mad??

I justify this madness with DD needing to hear italian.
(DH can sing all heidi and mila e shiro without knowing what he says - it's priceless)

www.yamatovideo.com/customer/home.php?collana=13
sorry, can't do links, but they sell the entire series of lady oscar (however, your dd is too young for that, remember Maria Antonietta and conte fersen?? I saw lady oscar the first time it was shown on italia 1 and it wasn't censored!)
what I would really like to see again is: gundam, starblazers and candy candy. Ups and la famiglia bradford...
amarcord!

Very sorry to hijack this thread, but can any of you Italian speakers tell me how to say "Remember to open the door!" in Italian.

posted on the other thread
ricordati di aprire la porta.

Hello back again one and all ..yes I do live in Venice itself and I have only seen film stars at Film festival time and I believe that Elton John has a flat here but there are loads of real ( all be it grumpy ) Venetians here. Mega grumpy now as it is Carnival time.
Califrau you mentioned Castelfiorentino is that the one near Poggibonsi? As I spent a summer there working in tourism but I lived at the castel di Oliveto. Had some terrible nights ( or mornings) in a tiny Pizzeria there he made his own grappa...wont say any more. That summer I did 23,000 miles round Tuscany I loved it but that was before it bacame a bit Chiantishire so I ended up moving south towards Montepulciano and then Umbria before moving up to Venice.
Branglina know your thoughts on relgious materna /asilo schools we are really tied here as we won't get a place in the state one so have to go semi private and they are all run mainly by nuns. Also I have IL pressure to send where cousins go at 4 she knew her Ave Maria by heart. Also was horrified at teacher ( or nun) to child ratio 1 :30 at 2 1/2 - 3 I thought that was a bit on the short side. Maybe I am wrong?
Anyway have til Next Oct/ Nov to decide but have to try and see some others on the quiet as not to offend.
Franca/ Pippi dh hates Heidi so we won't be having that in either language ! But I am keen to find some filastrocche in Italian not zecchino d'oro stuff as I know there are more than Nonna sings !

Lol @ Zecchino d'oro... my dc love the songs (esp "vintage zecchino d'oro").
For filastrocche I reccomend Roberto Piumini who's written lots of lovely books. One, Il Mattino di Zucchero, also have a CD (it was made by Piumini and a guitarist while touring around scuole elementari) with great songs which my dc really like (esp. l'oca cuoca and la canzone della cacca... yes, I know!).
I'm really at the problems in getting a place in a scuola materna statale. All my friends in Milano had problems in finding a place in nidi comunali, but never the asilo. what's happening to Italy?????
I've been to Venice film festival only once and the only celbruty I saw was vittorio sgarbi. I wasn't very impressed. But later we went to Pellestrina and had the best spaghetti alle vongole I've ever had!

DId you go to Nani at San Piero for fish ? Haven't been for ages in fact since DD has been born it used to be excellent.
I have been here for a few years and was working at airport so saw Toto but he was with Valeria Marini ! Also Sean Connery. My DH had Claudia Schiffer in his boat one year.
Will make a note of the book as I want it more for DH to sing to dd who loves music and action songs he tends to Italianise some of mine and I woudl rather she has different ones. Zecchino d'oro just grates on me I think it was after seeing on Rai2 the children all in matching tunics and hair ribbons and an over enthusiastic maestra waving her baton it just puts me off. Plus but I know I might have to give in the voice of Cristina is it d'Avena aggghhh.
As for schools it is a worry and in Vce places are so limited. When went to Uk and took DH to see cousins xmas play he was stunned at the difference between primary schools in Uk and Italy. I just hope that they improve a bit here I don't want to send DD to mainland for schooling as think she should be near friends but we will see.