Mumsnet Little Italy 3

[francagoestohollywood]

Welcome everyone

Ernest, no one plays out by themselves in Milan, there is simply too much traffic and not many places to play. How old are your DCs? Sometimes, ususally in the summer, there are oratari, ususally link to churches, which have a sort of youth club function and organise activities, but apart from that and the odd park there isn't much AFAIK. Franca will be able to fill you in much better than me as my DD isn't old enough and she grew up here.

Blond kids exist in Italy, but the very fair white blond ones are a rarity, so yes, there is a fascination. Same goes for women, I had a work colleague who had a lovely head of pale blonde hair, and she was never left alone, despite being no great beauty (miao!).
Lots of strikes here, although I think fewer than when Berlusconi was in govt. Milan has about 3 public transport strikes a year and it is chaos, everyone takes their cars and it's impossibile to get anywhere. Come to think of it, when it rains everyone takes their cars and it's gridlock.

Lol Rosa, I was a married man magnet too, I remember being shocked when I was an innocent thing and pointed out to someone that he was married and he replied "so what? It makes no difference". I also got the serial foreigner seducers, one said to me "non ho mai provato un'inglesina" so i just told him he wasn't going to be trying one any time soon! Cheeky sod, I'm not an ice cream flavour!

Rosa and Ernest, I received your emails, I will email you back later/forward pictures (rosa your dd e' una meraviglia!), as now I need to wash my hair and take dd to gymclub... [busy emoticon]
Rosa, glad you're better. I had the bloated feeling as well, it lasted several days (still on actually, I feel a bit pg, which I obviously am not).
Ernest, Italians do love a blond child, because they are rare. My very Italian friend has 3 dc with blond curly hair and blue eyes and when they were babies she kept being stopped every few metres

I really can't imagine Italian kids playing outdoors, I find Italian women very anxious with their children and never let them out of their sight.
Lol 'non ho mai provato un'inglseina'.

Hello busy Franca! Will send my mobile to your emails later, still don't know what it is.

OK Brangelina, che razza di gente hai incontrato? I can't believe it ! I think I have led a very sheltered left wingy politically correct sheltered life in Milan !!!!
I'm kidding, the number of assholes covering the penisola is high (hence the competition to get a decent man, I suppose ).
I started to play on my own in Milan when I was 8, but it was the Seventies and I lived in a residential area (south), lots of giardinetti and there weren't many cars. I really don't know what it is like today. Where my mother lives (same residential area where I grew up) I noticed that there were unsupervised 8-9-10 yrs old playing football at the local giardinetti. My friends were talking of letting their dd go to school on her own with a schoolmate from next year, she'll be 8, but she won't have to cross any major road (they live near corso vercelli). have to go wash my hair now.

I think Brangelina and I frequented the same places!! But in the more touristy places it tended to be more fun as I was working a stagione so more of a fixed 'object' against the weekly holiday makers so I only got the real b**tards after me then !!! When I was in the more provincal off the beaten track places then I was the inglesina con la macchina con la targa Mi or Roma ( tells my age they were all hired). I got used to walking in bars to use the phones a scatti and the place going quiet. Then somebody would make a batutta and I would reply and I was then one of the boys but there was always one ( or more) that would step over the line like turn up at mt flat with a bottle of martini bianco and expect something in return after telling me about his new baby in the bar the day before !! Oh I have some stories !! but best not told over the net !

I thought I would send you a pic of dd so I was sort of there at your meet up !!

Lol Rosa. The holiday lechers are the worst, almost as bad as the mariti abbondonati in July and August. They all go out in little groups, after staying in all year, and every female is fair game, esp if foreign as they know we're all sex starved for Latin lovers from watching bad 80s comedies. Their chat up lines were appalling to say the least.

The funny thing is I don't even look English, I actually blend in with the locals but it must have been something in the way I breathed. It doesn't happen so much anymore but then I'm now quite old and non sculetto più.

Franca, you must have led a sheltered life, either that or I frequented only dens of iniquity. I expect you were lucky in that you hung around with a more intellectual crowd whose IQ was a bit more than their shoe size (to quote Prince).

I don't know really. I think I've perfected the art of blending in with the bar's walls to avoid the possibility of being chatted up by assholes... Also I usually went out in groups of boys and girls, that seemed to discourage any kind of "pretendente". Thankfully, as the Italian macho (or those who "think" they are) really irritates me.
Brangelina and Rosa, it'd have been lovely if you were coming to the meet up!

I think Brangelina, Rosa and I frequented the same places. and for the 'inglesina' could haver been said by most men (some even friends) I know! sad!
I, on the contrary, don't look italian and when in perugia, and young, I got chatted up a lot by those who thought I was english, dutch or even better swedish. Funny when I grumpily replied 'sono di pg' they all sheepishly replied 'oh scusa eh!' after leaving. WTF???? english men are strange too though in a different way.

rosa I want to see your dd too. please forward.

Hey ladies, been a bit awol again
When I was pregnant I was walking through our town and a man stopped me and asked me directions. I explained I didn't know as I was knew to the area and carried on walking. He stopped me agin and said "posso conoscereti ?"
I looked at him agog and in shcoked voice said " Io sono sposata !!" then pointed at my belly and said "e sono anche incinta !!!!"
He just shrugged and walked away !

michymama!!!!!
Ok, shall I forward Pippi's dd's picture and rosa's to all of you? will you mind sharing emails or shall I do it singolarmente?

I think we might have put Ernest off Milan and Italy in general, she's not been back!

I'm curious to know your impressions of English men - I have had some nice ones but my overwhelming memory is of groups of grown men in full football kit (yes, really!) drinking all night to get their courage up, then burping in your face to chat you up 1/2 hour before closing time, at which point they'd be no use to you whatsoever even if you were interested in them. At least Italian men tend not to have a drink problem!

I will add a disclaimer that I've worked in a lot of dodgy pubs in the east end, so do appreciate there are more sophisticated beings about.

Yes! and sharing emails is OK by me.

Yes, I think we put Ernest off... do you know, I've been thinking the whole day re nice things about Milan and couldn't come up with a single one. But I do love it!!!! I'm actually thinking that I'd be able to stop everyday a the panetteria in corso genova and buy those lovely bocconcini di focaccia with the olive inside.... mmmmmm.
and then Brangelina we can meet for a negroni.

you haven't put me off! I've peeped in but didn't have time for message. Tbh I really hate the thought of it, and what you're saying in sort of confirming my bad feelings rather than creating new ones.

Can you help me out with this, it might sound stupid, but I've never known anything different, so I can't get my head round the alternative.

Right now my boys go to school mornings and mostly in the fternoons they pile outside to play. So in Italy (talking now British int. school) what age do they start school?, So do you have to take them to school normally I guess? and collect them? then in the afternoons/ evenings I guess most people live in flats? so there's no garden? So what do kids do after school? Do you have to take them out to a park every day or do they just hang around?

I see if I move a dramatic change in lifestyle, loss of freedom, loss of greenery, inability to communicate and no friends. It's not appealing to me right now.

Tho weekend visits, wandering round the town and eating ice creams seems manageable. Visits yes, living, I just can't see it.

But then, plenty of people live there and like it.

The only thing going for it is the fact my dh is there and tbh, I don't know if that's enough to uproot us all to live somewhere I don't think I'l be happy.

But desüite my slight reservations, hope ypou don't mind me sticking around (hopeful emoticon)

share emails it's fine by me too.

ernest please do stick around either way.

every place it's got its pro and cons. it's just what you are looking for and your personal feelings. DH wanted us to move poutside london a few months ago and I was about to shoot myself.

Yes, a lot of places have their pros and cons, a lot of it depends on your personality and what you are/get used to. It's not that bad here, I've been here since 93 so there must be something worthwhile.

got to dash to put whining child to bed, will come back later to answer your qs.

Gosh Ernest (have emailed you earlier), of course it doesn't look appealing. It is a huge lifestyle change and it sounds that your dc are enjoying a fabolous and free childhood in Switzerland.
I don't really know what children nowadays do in Milan, especially those who go to international school. I visited an English school last time I was in Milan (sir James Henderson), which apparently is the best english school in town. It is on the outskirts of Milan (Lambrate) and it runs a (very expensive) schoolbus around places like Milano 2 and Milano 3 which seem to be favoured by many English expats (greener areas). At the end, we decided not to go for it for many reasons (money, ideological etc), especially because it would have meant that the children travelled 2 hrs a day. We'll stick to the local state school. The English school starts to get children from 3 yrs old (nursery) and only has 1 intake for reception (4 yr old).
Italian primary schools start at 6 yr old. For 3-6 yr there is a virtually free scuola materna (from 9-4 I think).
Most primary schools are now tempo pieno (until 4.30), I don't really now what kind of activities are done in the afternoon. I used to finish at 12.30.
My friends' children usually are ferried around town (the most eco-conscious take public transports or cycle, risking their life) for different sports (there is a circus school that seems to be quite popular at the moment ), or they go to play with their schoolmates or go to the park (some areas are better than others in terms of "giardinetti"). Lots of people tend to escape during the weekend, Liguria, mountains, camping... end of part one

Brangelina - what took u to milan ?? I'm curious coz I went in 95 to be an au pair and stayed for approx 3 years. We hung out most weekends at pogue mahones near Porta Romana and were frequent dancers at the rainbow club !! I actually got my belly button pierced for the first time by a girl from the saturday market by the canal, she did it in her bedroom with a pair of pliers !!!
Here in sicily, my 2 are at nursery which is free. They go from 9 - 3. My dd starts school next september and its only till 1.30 here and on a saturday.
We are lucky we have a garden so my kids are outside a lot,(dh's family took a while getting their heads round this and wold often shout across the gate "but u'll get hot and sweaty" !! ) and we have the beach 5 mins away so we often go there too (actually just about to go for a nice walk down there).

Well, I met pippi and franca, and I must tell you that Pippi's house is not filthy and Franca's is not dark and windswept. Here you. go.

Also, they are not lentilweavers! Yipppppeee!

thanks for lying hothell.... my house IS filthy especially after an aft of DH alone with DD.

It was a pleasure meeting you both. must be done again and more often. ci si fa quattro risate!

Got home late enough for dinner to be ready, ds washed, and I didn't have to do the bloody bedtime story. And dp went out this evening, so I am home alone. Bliss!

oh lucky you, you really had the best weekend so far! I did not go for my meal in the end as it was really too crowded (middleaged emoticon). I went home instead and had a pick-nick (sp?) on the floor with DD and a pizza. had to do the bed time story with two new books: thank god for that!

what's the kylie show all about? herself???