Mumsnet Little Italy 2

[francagoestohollywood]

Everyone's welcome

I am here nad I am fine. I tried to avoid logging on today as I have a million things to do as I am working tomorrow as well. so i have managed to tidy up a bit and take the car for the MOT.

DH and I are ok but I can see clouds inside him. I think i should leave the issues on a side for a while and be supportive. I think he feels quite lost without his dad and it is hitting him now. not sure if I'll manage this as being pg I feel I am the one in need of a cuddle or to but never mind.

what else is new. DD off to new childminder tomorrow for good. fingers crossed.
and me going for a halloween party, not sure if should dress up or not. and what? a pumpkin maybe considering the shape.

Xmas, I quite like the english version with the turkey etc. tortellini \in brodo are boring and cappone in umido makes me vomit.
pandoro rocks though!
I think we'll have a crapy xmas as the house will be in the middle of the renovation and we'll have nowhere to go as DH's sister to lazy to invite us to her house.

no no ravioli in real brodo rock + bollito misto with bagneut (salsa verde) . Have to run, ds and I just came back from farmers market and still have to eat (sausages, BUT organic ).
Pippi I think you need a hug .... there.

thanx franca

so have you booked your train ticket?

Hi ladies I introduced myself ages ago but have been awol for a while so will reintroduce... I'm Michelle, english married to DH Italian and living in Sicily with DD 4 and DS 3. We've been here 6 years and usually I love it. I've always loved all things italian and its been my dream to live here since I was a kid. Recently though things have been getting on top of me ie the total coruption in the government and around me (being is sicily for even simple thing u need to "know" someone"). I don't want to begin to dislike it here.
I know a lot of you are italian who live in uk so help me here, what gets on ur nerves about the uk ?? Does the italian way do ur nuts in too !!!?? (BTW I've also posted about this on overseas thread but wanted an italian opinion too !!)

Hi Michymama. I totally understand your frustrations about Italy. I'm up north so we don't have quite the same problems (at least we have water!), but I also get pissed off about paying huge taxes and not getting much in the way of services, how crap the gov is, the corruption etc. I can no longer watch programmes like Report as I get over-indignant and don't sleep afterwards from the indignancy (if that's a word).

BTW I really admire you for going to live in meridione, I certainly couldn't have done it. I had a pugliese boyf once who wanted me to marry him and go and live in his home village - I broke out in a cold sweat at the thought.

Having said that, now that I've been away for ages I can see the cracks in the UK too. Not so much corruption and things but lower level stuff like arrogance and ignorance (ignorant here too but different IYSWIM) and excessive political correctness. And crap food at nursery.

I lived in France for a while too, got sick of it and couldn't wait to move back to the UK only to find that it really wasn't any better. There are always some things that are better in some places and some things that are better in others. For instance, I could no longer imagine having to go out by 7pm in order to be able to get a drink in before closing time (or has that changed and I'm out of date?).

Hi michymama, I'm from Milano and have been living in Exeter for 8 yrs now. I love Sicily, it's a stunning part of the world, with such a rich and dramatic history, but it must be very hard to live there and put up with all its problems, especially if you are not from there originally. There were many, many things that I disliked about Italy before coming to England, and I dislike them even more after 8 years here. The first thing is the feeling that as a citizen you don't count that much and are not respected. That there's no social responsibility (apart from brilliant exceptions, obviously) and that corruption is everywhere. However, in my first 28 yrs living in Milan I had built a social network of "likeminded" (or more or less) people that somehow makes "life" easier and things don't look as bad.
I felt very lonely in England for a long long time, and things often look worse than they really are. England is "better" for many things. More democratic (has been doing it for longer than Italy ), more liberal, more tolerant, less racist etc etc. But I miss the Italian less moralistic/puritanical attitudes (which I agree are the reason for many Italian problems) and a its different kind of allegria.

(gosh how superficial does the bit re allegria sound? I sound like Berlusconi...)

Hi Brangelina and Franca ! I lived in milan for a few years, I was a au pair for a lovely family but we lived out in San Felice Segrate which was full of v rich families. I didn't make friends with any of the locals as I was a "babysitter" but made loads of friends with the filippinos and south americans.
I used to love the anarchy that I felt exisited in sicily, the need to always go against the rules, being a rebel myself !! Maybe its age wearing me down
We love in a beautiful village, marinella di selinunte, and sometimes I sit here and think "wow !!".
Maybe its because its already raining and cold, last year was still hot this time of year !!

Yes, I remember you michymama, I visited Selinunte in 1994, during a trip with friends (we were driving 2 cars with no air conditioning and staying in campeggi around Sicily in August. un caldo pazzesco!). It is so beautiful there, and you are right, "anarchy" is one of the things that make Sicily so wonderful and affascinante, but sadly also difficult to live in. Also once you have children you want perfection around you, and it is quite difficult to get, almost anywhere. Sometimes I wonder what it is like to live in Spain, I wouldn't mind give it a try. Where are you from originally? do you get to see your family often? have you got good friends in Marinella?
Milano San Felice? That's in the middle of nowhere (I remember a friend of my brother's who lived there and commuted for more than an hour to get to high school!!!)

(I remember talking to you on MN, not meeting you in selinunte in 1994 . )

What I don't like about England: the over the top Health and Safety, the NHS, the food in schools (probably), the drinking culture, hmm cannot think of anything more ATM.
Mind you I do really really like/love it here. Since the first time I never wanted to go back. Like Franca there were many things i disliked about italy when I was there, things that really made my stomach turn. Unlike Franca I did not find many people that thought like me, but I cam from a very citta' provinciale, and so i had to run away. I love italy for holiday, food, weather, the allegria, yes for the superficial things! but unfortunately I could not enjoy them when the 'serious' things are all wrong. (my mum being asked to work overtime and then not getting paid because 'that's how it is' or her and her collegues not getting half of their holiday paid or taken because 'that's how it is'; not passing esame d'avvocato 3 times because you are not part of a certain secret society, although being the best of that year. ETC ETC) Even now I get upset.
I can come up with a million of things I don't like about italy unfortunately. which is a shame because it is my country. there's a beautiful poem called Ithaca by Cafavy which just it's how I see my relation with Italy.

having said that sicily is a really great place.

sorry long.

Hey Franca yes I remeber u telling me about selinunte ! Which campsite did u stay in ??
I'm originally from manchester so coming to this little village was a complete culture shock !! Having said that they are so many non sicilians here its quite cosmopolitan !! I've made many great friens here, maybe its beacause we all have kids but I feel friendships much more prfound than any I had in the UK. I get to see my family every few months or so, they come here, we go there so I have never really suffered bad homesickness.
Pippi - i completly agree with you on the things u don't like about uk. My most hated thing is the drinking culture, whats the point ??

Hello all .
Michymama do I remember you making abirthday cake in 40 degree heat or have i got you mixed up with anotner mum ??
I agree with the drinking in the Uk that drives me mad also the train system it is rubbish !! and expensive. YOu are lucky to have mnade lots of friends I havent despite dd I am hoping this will change when she goes to school / asilo whatever.
Totally crappy day here wind, rain , acqua alta I want to curl up on sofa with soppy video and hot chocolate !!

Hi rosa - maybe a cake not had any birthdays this summer, and it was 40 degrees this summer, may have been me !!! I made a couple of friends not long after we moved here. But we had the added advantage that we are in my dh's home village so he new loads of people already. I've made more friends since the D's started asilo. Where abouts are you ?? We've got scirocco here today so its quite warm. Thank god can get some washing dry !!!

Gosh I can't remember. We visited many that year. The one I can still remember was the one in Lido Val d'Erice, it was unbearably hot (scirocco) and we pitched our tents all'ombra di un enorme camper. The best camping site (visited during another tour of Sicily) is the one in Milazzo.
I'm very tired today, last day of half term. The level of noise has been quite high in our household.
Things I don't like about England?
The feeling that the nhs is saving money on me, the war in Iraq and the anti-Europe attitude.
It's a grey autumn day, which I have to say I like it.
Rosa, I think the icing at 40 degrees was made by another mnetter in Tuscany.
It is difficult to make new friends in a new place (and I have the slight feeling that veneziani aren't the most welcoming people in the whole world), but you are def going to make some when your dd is going to school

and rosa, youo will come and see me in milan ?

ds is now singing (loudly) "E' un grandioso giorno". Bless him. He is loud though!

Lucky you dry in Sicily I have the house draped with washing. It is still pouring down !

Where is everybody? Trying to cure your mumsnet addiction?
When are you coming Franca?
Had a lovely day with ds and his little mate, absolutely delightful, but tired now!
Pippi, what did your dd have then? Was it impetigo?

I'm here. I was thinking the weekend of the 10-11 nov

have you booked the ticket then yet?

I am off to bed to be honest, knackered today and I don;t know why.

are you all alright? hothell how's things with dp? mine is quite in a cheerful mood these days. (thare's one thing that ALWAYS puts men in a good mood )

football?

Buon giorno!

Scusi for crashing your thread but I am doing a quiz on Italy (with prizes!) and there is just one question I can't find the answer to -

What is the name of the rich agricultural landscape in the heart of the Maremma region of Tuscany?

Grazie mille!

ciao ww, gosh I don't know! You need califrau!. Let me have a quick look.

Thank you, franca