MUMsnet little Italy

[mediterraneo]

buonasera!

ciao rosa! It sounds like you had a great summer as well! It is really important for little children like your dd to enjoy the freedom of running around in a garden - beach etc, and they grow up so much over a summer don't they? Venezia is wonderful, but doesn't sound ideal for little ones, but perhaps she might grow up into a cinema fanatic and make the most of the film festifval .
It wasn't a house hunt as such, estate agents were all closed, but we walked a lot around the areas we both like and sort of made a list of our favourite locations. Rents are quite high, as expected, but not on the up. Milano is beautiful in August, when the majority of its population is on holiday and there's no traffic... basically it's beautiful 2 weeks a year

bentornata franca. sounds like you had a great time! good, you do sound refreshed and relaxed TBH. what would you do about schools? do you take them out half term?

ciao rosa.
I feel for you rosa, although Venice is my favourite city of all I would not think it ideal for children (or for the mums that have to look after them).I never thought I'd say such thing a couple of years ago but hey I can see the difference already from where we used to live 3 months ago to the new place: with a bigger garden, big parks nearby... mind you I've turned into a turnip - I hardly go anywhere past my postcode . (pippi hopes is due to feeling crappy because of first trimester)

I am okay on the whole, it does seem easier than first time but it might be my attitude that has changed, I am not fighting it this time and I know it's only for a few more weeks. I am not as tired as I remember being last time either.

it's a shame that now that my brother is here (free babysitter) I am not keen to go anywhere and I cannot even look at alchool without feeling sick. never mind... that is my life now: DB said I have become my mother!! and he is right! I keep telling him to take is jacket and to be careful when he goes out - I cannot even listen to myself!!!!

Thanks Pippi and Franca I just feel as if I am letting her down by taking her back . I know that is her 'home' and of course I want to be back with dh ..he was here for a few weeks .She just loves the garden, the beach ( even in the cold !), The animals we have sheep and cows nearby. She knows she has to hold hands when there are cars but she has the run free times and she looks up and says run mummy? When we get back to Venice it is all stone , 99%hand holding due to the canals and the dog poo. There are no activities she can do. I know Venetians bring up children there and generally it is a safe city but I am so worried that she will suffer if not now then in the future by what the place cannot offer.
Enough doom ..Pippi nearly out of the first 3 months and the tired phase..Have you resisted crudo yet ? Good having a free babysitter so you can atleast have a doze when you need to.
Franca so will you be going back or is it still only a possible?

I have I have rosa, but I did eat mortadella and salsiccia secca (brought by DB) ...realised what I had done just when I finished! Felt so bad for a couple of days thinking the worse etc. Now okay. for some reason I'm more paranoid about poultry and how meat is defrosted etc (we all have our own fissazioni)!

when you said about walking per la mano i could not understand at first as I thought 'venezia has got no cars'!! My pea-sized-pregnancy-brain forgot all about the perils of the canals.

first of all: rosa, you are not letting her down! I know how you are feeling though, the worry of not doing the right thing and the strength of our feeelings towards where we grew up. It's hard. To my eyes, she sounds like having the best of both worlds, long summers in beautiful Cornwall and growing up in one of the most beautiful city in the world. A hard city, I know, it must be a nightmare pushing the pram on those steps!!! But she will soon know to stay away from the canals, and in a few years she'll play in the campi like the children I saw last time I was there. I know I might have a romanticised view about it. And I know that it's a city which is slowly dying, and I really understands your fears and anxieties. But your dd really sounds like someone sourrounded by beauty, be it the rolling hills in Cornwall or Piazza San Marco... (the more I write the m ore I get a bit ) .

Pippi glad to hear the pg is progessing well. Lol at resembling your mother. Same here. I even sound like her and I get upset about silly things like ordine, like she did (and as a child I swore I wouldn't be like that... )

We really have made up our minds about going back, which sounds a bit crazy, I know

mortadella I though it was ok (have eaten it throuout 2 pg)

I am glad you say that franca as I have another pack in the fridge !! What's the difference between mortadella and salami then? Is mortadella cooked? [ignorant emoticon]

do any of you know a yummy recipe for artichokes (alla giudia for example?)

rosa I agree with franca venice is a beautiful city and she'll come to appreciate it in a few years, and trust me the best thing for her is to have a different place to spend the holidays. we lived in the city during the winter and in the country for the holidays. It was the best, it's like two different you growing inside yourself.

pippi, I've always assumed mortadella is cooked and therefore safe to eat, but never really checked whether it's true or not. mind you that all the affettati you buy in the supermarkets should be safe from toxoplasmosi, as they come from maiali che non sono mai usciti dai loro bunker... the salame del contadino is a bit more dangerous. anyway, I didn't eat any salume apart from mortadella and prosciutto cotto. but I had lots of smoked salmon and gorgonzola in my first pg and the first 6 months of mny second. then one night I vomited a lot and convinced myself I had listeria. the midwife didn't really take me seriously.

lol at franca vomiting.

that's what I was wondering as well... how do you know if you've got listeria? does it show like food poisoning? If I do sound paranoid is because I am not at all and scared to be too relaxed about the all thing.

so when are you going to go? early next year?

Hi Everyone, (Ciao a tutti)

My name is Jane

I have 4 children, Madison 19, James 18, Dylan 5 & Mia 22 months

I am 43 and I live with my DP of 26 years, in Merton Park, London, SW19. My DP is called Ezio and is originally from Sardinia, although he has been here for 30 years, apart from a 3 year break when we both lived in Turin. My eldest daughter is an Estate agent (LOL) in Wimbledon and my eldest son is at college studying accountancy.

I am quite new to forums, I started a few weeks ago on the buy & sell as I had a clear out and realized I buy far too much for my children and it's taking over the house LOL.

Anyway I just thought I would introduce myself as I assume most of you have known each other for ages, Franca invited me to join you.

Jane x

P.S Here is a link to photo's of my children:
s198.photobucket.com/albums/aa172/magic_dragon_photos/My%20Family/

Hi Jane, welcome!!!! Glad to have new 'faces'.
spooky two of your children are called like mine (one is still in production but I am pretty sure of the name - assuming it's the sex I think it is!!!)

I've seen your pics: Jane you look 20 to me!!! Is it sardinian food?

where about id DP from in sardinia? do you go there often?

Thanks pippi, the photo of me taken at christmas is more realistic, the prof pics were taken when I was 40 and just had my hair & make up done, plus the good lighting of course.
Ezio is from Ales provicia di Oristano, the last time we went to Sardinia was in 1999, thats really bad, but we've always had our own business and have always found it hard to get away. We went to Venice in 2003 just after Christmas it was magical, I had only been there in the summer before.

hi Jane, welcome , even if you look 22 in those pictures !!!
littleitalymumsnetters are quite a good mix of italians living in England, English married to Italians and living in Italy, italianofile etc, etc.
I think I'm the only one here who is italian and married to an italian. we've been living in exeter for 8 yrs.

pippi, as I said, I didn't know much about listeria during my first pg in Italy. My ever so scrupolous (esiste sta parola?) ginecologa never made a big deal about it. At that time she was pg as well, and a friend once bumped into her at a japanese restaurant where she was having sushi... also I had other things to stress about the first time around, mainly lots of braxton hicks contractions, I thought I was on the verge of labour al the time . Also citomegalovirus gave me some worries.........
Second time around I decided to stress about listeria, as here they mention it more frequently. Apparently it is a very rare condition. It has flue like symptoms, so it's impossible to spot. I wouldn't waste my time on it. just avoid unpastourised cheese and smoked salmon/trout/ e prodottu da frigo tipo il tacchino gia' cotto che si mangia freddo, cosa che cmq io non ho mai mangiato.

Thanks Franca, I wish I felt 22, it's much harder being an older mother, I found it much easier with the first 2 when I was a lot younger.

same as me then. first time around I did not worry to much, I did avoid things but ate others, mainly because I did not know, like peanuts (which I read that are okay anyway unless you've got a history of allergies.)
anyway I think you've got a good point there - when you don't have much to worry about you find things. (PS talking of tacchino cotto, do you know what I'd really really eat right now??? Vitello Tonnato... hmmmmm yummie! I bet that'd be off anyway.)

Did you crave things whil pg? I have got a thing for mayonnaise. not a fan normally, but cannot get enough of it last time and this time around. strange.

did you ate fiorentina? Dh can kill for one of them.

Scrupolous does exist, I think. Are you still translalting?

Jane, I've always wondered what it'd have been having children at a younger age. I had ds, my first when I was 31, which is not too old, but my energy levels were quite low already. To be honest, my energy levels have always been quite low . Your children look amazing, you must be so proud!

Pippi: vitello tonnato is one of my favourite dishes. My mum makes a very good one (have eaten a fantastic one at the agriturismo, made with arista instead, looovely) and I think I ate it when pg with ds (that year we were living in italy).
Do you mean if I ate fiorentina over the holidays or when pregnant? Yes, over the holidays I had one and rosticciana as well (there was a great macellaio, called "Pio Bove" near the agriturismo). When pg not as such, as I like meat al sangue and couldn't face to eat it well done. But with ds I went to a ristorante toscano in milano, I was 38 weeks and had fiorentina al sangue
I still got 40 pg to translate, not sure I'll ever find the time. The house is a pit, mountain of things to iron and got to get organize if we really want to move.

Med where are you? and where's ellbell? and cali? and all the others?

Talking of cravings, I craved Pizza & asparagus with DD1, Salt & vinegar crisps (Yuk) with DS1, Donuts with DS2 & Organic Weetabix (had to be the organic ones) with DD2 lol!

Hi Jane...I wished I looked as good as you do and I am rising to the big 40 soon !! I love your childrens names Especially Mia !
I had no cravings when I as pg apart from the crudo but I went off bananas and also the only time I threw up was with a caramel Kit Kat ..We had just seen them in Venice and so bought one ..Never again !!

Pippi and Franca thank you so much for your kind words and support I might be back for more next week. DH has been working pm and he switches to days the day after we get back ..Great 3 cases to unpack ( as he will not have unpacked his from 3 weeks ago ..it was all clean clothes !!) So has a punishment have sent him a huge spesa list and he will have to take the Carello which he hates
Mortadella is cooked but very fatty so you should not eat too much ( Zia Rosa here with advice) and as for a Fiorentina..You cannot eat one of them well cooked it would be an insult to the mucca so I would say wait a few more mese !!

Lol at the spesa list for your dh rosa . I've just made a big one on the internet (despite the fact that we came back with lots of pasta and passata, and guess what, we were stopped at the dogana, and I was scared that they'd find my salame!!!!!!!!!!!

With ds I craved anchovies, with dd milk chocolate with nuts (which is very weird as I'm a dark chocolate person !). I brought kit kat bars with me for the labour, but dh ate them all .

zia rosa not too worry, l'll try to be good. re fiorentina, agree you cannot eat it well done, TBH I don;t think any fiorentino che si rispetti will allow you anyway. I am not planning toi have it, although last time when I was visiting pg at 6 months I shocked a friend ordering: prosciutto e melone (loads of it) and a tagliata medium rare! I am sorry but those rare visit cannot be waisted!

no good recipe for artichokes then???

The only way to eat artichokes is raw each leaf dipped in a little extra virgin olive oil & salt mmm,

I completely agree with jane4 re artichoke (you know that it's impossible to find artichokes in exeter? my mum usually brings them with her on the plane when she visits). In pinzimonio they are the best. Or cut really thinly, salt, extra vergin olive oil and sesame seeds, and shaving of parmigiano.
If you really want to cook them, cut them in quarters. Soffriggi aglio in pentolino con bordi alti, add the artichokes, metti coperchio. Salt, a bit of lemon juice and lots of parsley.

It's impossible to find them in SW London too, we grow them in the garden, but only get a few a year, one Christmas in Turin I had 3 artichokes for lunch & 3 for dinner with bread, that was christmas day, but I had craved them for so long thats all I would eat, everyone thought I was pazza lol

they seem to be everywhere here (north london) these days. Don't know if they are nice, will let you know tonight.

Not at work today...