Mumsnet little Italy 5

[francagoestohollywood]

Welcome!

Hello Sputnik , what brought you to Rome?

I don't have a local GS ! I'm pretty close to Esselunga, which I think it is fab (despite I know I should shop at Coop ), the quality of the food is very good and there are always lots of offerte. Plus we have to markets around here which are great. And have also discovered two good bakeries, which are becoming a rarity in Milan. Have noticed the price of food has increased a lot, but after 8 yrs in England it still look quite a bargain, iyswim...

Abena, how did it go with babysitter?

Sputnik whenever you feel the need to moan (about whatever takes your fancy) this thread is always welcoming

Oooh, Franca - Co-op! now, i know this sounds mad. But earleir this year we went to Cortina d'Ampezzo for the weekend. I belted into the Co-op there (only one i've ever seen in Italy) and bought two packs of the most brilliant weaning spoons. They're heat-sensitive, long handled, have just the right curve...and I can't find them ANYWHERE else. Is there a Co-op in central Rome, does anyone know? I know it sounds mad to be going on a kind of pilgrimage for weaning spoons, but they're just so good. Wish I'd bought loads more at the time...we don't have a car so are v dependent on buses and mEtro.

Apologies for bringing such banalities to your thread when the rest of you are talking about politics. Did anyone see the Fascists marching in delight outside the Rome mayor's office the other night? Only about 20 of them but many more are lurking, i feel. Poor old Rutelli.

Well I met my DH in the UK at university, and he had to come back to do his military service (actually civil service in the end). I was happy to escape Thatcher! We ended up staying.

There's plenty to moan about here, and we somtimes talk about moving back, but I don't think I could take the climate or flavourless overpriced vegetables . Plus we live in a nice house we could never afford in the UK.

I used to shop at the markets, but got fed up with having to compete with the old biddies elbowing you out of the way. Ditto waiting behind them at the alimentari while they have their ham thinly sliced, their rosette not too cotto, no, not that one - that one over there, etc etc. I have made more of an effort lately to buy stuff at the local greengrocers etc though.

Lol Tallis! I'm told that the coop in Cortina is particularly posh . I'm sorry I can't give you more advise re the Roman shopping scene. There is (I'm told) a great Ipercoop in milan, but I haven't been yet, as it's not very convenient for us and I rely on buses as well, as I don't drive.

Oh gosh yes, one thing is for sure about living in Italy, it gives you endless reasons to moan . Unfortunately I now have to accept that, despite my best intentions, I'm a moaner, so I'd moan even if I was living in the best society ever, say Sweden or whatever the best society is...

I must admit that I really like shopping at the market and make small talk with shopkeepers, which I really missed in the uk. I'm now working at becoming best mate with the panettiere. You'd probably hate me !!!

don't think have ever seen a co-op in central Rome Tallis.
Hi Sputnik-nice to have another romana on the thread . Whereabouts do you live? What about you Tallis? (am very nosey-tell me to mind my own
Did you hear all dickhead fascists beeping their horns etc when result came through for mayor
OOh not Sweden Franca-too dark. Although admittedly have edge politically over Berlusca and co! We went there to visit friends and dp declared that the food made British cuisine seem appealing

Lol at moving here to escape Thatcher and ending up with Berlusconi.

Tallis, there are Coops in Roma, though not many. I don't which area you live in but scroll through this list Beware though, not all stock the same things as I found out to my chagrin.

Don't worry about introducing banalities, as you can see I managed to combine politics and Xfactor in the same thread.

Italy does give us a lot of reasons to moan, but then there are a lot of good things too, like the trains, veg actually in season and the fact that it is very hard to eat badly when you're out. I do find that a lot of the things Brits moan about, like too many taxes and how crap Royal Mail has got, really make me laugh. You should try living here mate.

On a more serious note, what do you think of the theory vaguely bandied about that the rape and stabbing of that Lesothan girl was a messa in scena just in time for the mayoral elections? Apprently the penniless Romanian perpetrator has got himself an expensive lawyer, someone who defended a mate of Berlusca's in the past. I heard it on the radio the other day. Of course there are conspiracy theories everywhere but would the right stoop so low? Remember that the victim was not Italian, so possibly easily sacrificeable perhaps in some people's eyes? Or ahve a been reading too many trashy novels?

Sorry Tallis, don't know about co-ops in Rome either.

I'm in the Sabina area just outside Rome. Last time Berlusca got in DH saw someone brandishing a gun in the piazza of our small village. He phoned the carbinieri, only to be told it was probably an off-duty security guard .

Lol at the off duty security guard. The last time I phoned the carabinieri to complain about a burglar alarm that kept going off in an emptly flat, I got asked "what do you want me to do about it?".
I mentioned that even in the absence of burglars, surely it constituted a little attention, insofar as it was un disturbo della quiete pubblica. He sighed and told me he'd send someone round. Cue 3 hours later, carabinieri car draws up, coincidentally in the 10 min gap between rogue alarm going off, stayed for 2 minutes then drove off.

I wouldn't have bothered calling them had it not been for the pompiere telling me to as it was their responsibility!

Oh yes, plenty to like here too I agree. Food would be number 1. Child adoration is another, and there's a really great little nursery here where I paid less than 200 euros for 75 hours, including food. Not to mention free scuola materna. Childcare seems really expensive in the UK.

Where in Rome are you Gio?

I'm in Cipro/Prati area Sputnik. DP born, bred etc in Prati and we are not allowed more than a ten minute walk from fil or they both come out in a rash/turn into pumpkins -who knows! I often wonder at how I managed to get him to live in Manc for years away from Papà!
What's Sabina like? I am collecting ideas for day trips out as I can't stand staying in Rome at weekends when it starts getting hot.
Lol as well re escaping Thatcher and getting Berlusca. Who do I despise more mmmm that's a question that deserves some thought...
Brange my childminder (who knows everything worth knowing in Rome) was saying about those rumours. She said she wouldn't put anything past them. Surely it hasn't come to that???? Please not! There is a bit of a stench about it though....

I always seem to miss the long chatty bits ..Or maybe you hear me coming and you all vanish !! Hi Sputnik nice to meet you . Thatcher I was talking about the Faulklands the other day with a friend and nipotina inglese ( age 15) said what about them ? They haven't done anything about it in school . I reckon as well that thers is so much soto sotto the elezioni than we can possibly imagine or maybe we do ?? But they do say that money talks. DO you remember one footy final in Rome when unemployed brits has buisness class seats, 4* hotel reservations yet they were arrested for rioting ? I think that it was thought that a newspaper was behind it all .
I have a fairly big Coop here Tallis and several small ones but I don't remember the weaning spoons will have a look next time am there.
Abena how did you get on with the childminder ?...or has somebody asked that bit.
Brangelina where do you get chickpeas I just seem to find scatole di beans and wanted to whizz some up ..is it that up here I can't get a blessed thing..am still hunting sour cream !!

Rosa, I'm back... I was getting the children from nursery. Then bumped into the dear friend of mine who lives round the corner and have acquired her dd as well . They are now playing together so I can waste some more time on MN .
Rosa do you mean tinned cheakpeas? I find them at Esselunga, they actually have organic esselunga tinned chickpeas. Mind you yesterday I was looking for tinned sweetcorn in my local diperdi' and couldn't find any.

lol and at the guy with the gun in Sputnik's village!

I'm still here, I'm usually on and off MN all day
Never ever seen sour cream here, but tinned chick peas are usually with the other beans. You can also get them in those brick things.

Prati is 1 part of Rome I don't know that well. The Sabina is nice, but nothing specific really to visit. It's very picturesque though with lots of charming small villages, and in the summer there are always Feste on in 1 village or another - you could just drive around looking for posters.

I love feste di paese!

It started raining again

Sunny here today.

I'm hoping it stays that way tomorrow as there's a Festa della Montagna here, it's on some fields up a mountain and they have a kind of Palio where they charge up and down on horses trying to get a spear through a ring, or something. I've missed it the last few years.

It's any excuse for a party here from may to september

sounds like good fun! and i bet the food is delicious???? I'm craving some central/southern Italy food. I'm fed up with agnolotti!

Ciao! The childminder was really nice about me asking her to reduce 1200 euros a mionth and said she would understand if I wanted to look for someone cheaper! She says its because they are two very young ones. Anyway....I panicked as I start work on Monday and the people whose children she looked after last year absolutely love her to bits. She and her husband even go and visit them in UK where they are now and talk on the phone thats how much their children loved her.
I just couldnt lose someone like that so I went to her house today and checked it out. I am very worried about being parted from my little ones for the first time but not worried about the babysitter. Thanks for asking. x

I suppose that having someone you trust is most important, giving the fact that leaving children in childcare for the first time is stressing enough...
Will email you asap abena! good luck for monday!

Well, we had to miss the festa della montagna as both my DCs are ill, I think they have strep, so off to the paed this afternoon.

Haven't even had any fave and pecorino!

how old are your dc sputnik? Here's to them feeling better soon. there's plenty of bugs doing the runs. A friend's ds has just come down with mumps.

din't havwe any fave and pecorino either.

DD will be 4 in July and DS is 10 months. Yours (and everyone elses)?

The paed said it probably wasn't strep but will be getting a swab done tomorrow to make sure. I want them both healthy as we're off to the UK next week

whereabouts in UK are you from Sputnik? How long are you going back for? Hope dcs feel better soon.
Good luck with the job Abena!
My ds is 18 mths. I have just spent the afternoon in H&M/Ikea and Leroy Merlin at Bufalotta. DS had full on tantrum in Leroy Merlin while I was queuing to pay for mossie zappers/sprays/tennis racket mossie killer things. Then the taxi driver couldnt find us to pick us up (even tho I was waiting exactly where was told) for an HOUR!! Then when we finally got in cab and it was on 28 euros I said-I hope that's going to be put back to zero and he said no, he'd still been using his time driving aimlessly around and it wasnt his fault there are no signposts there!!!! SO I told him there was no way on God's earth I was going to pay 50 euros instead of the 20 it should be. Got my way but
So much for nice afternoon shopping. I HATE all centri commerciali though-only ever go when need to get kids clothes from H&M or Ikea.
Off to stuff face with dp's lovely carbonara

What a nightmare waiting anywhere for an hour with an 18 month old. Do you have mosquitoes already then?

I grew up near Cambridge but my parents are now in South Wales, so that's where we're heading.