ardua

I'm 16 weeks due 1st July. I go for my 20 week scan on 14th Feb!! Valentines Day. Can't wait!! We are going to wait to find out the sex. I don't think I would consider having the baby away from home especially with it being our first.
Thanks for the replies with your experiences so far. We live in the UK but we spend alot of time in California and visit Lucca a few times a year. We were hoping to start spending more time in Lucca as we enjoyed our visits in the past so much. I'm Chinese and my husband is white so our babies (hoping to have more!!) will be half Chinese and half white. Do you think they would feel isolated going to Italian schools? I grew up in the UK and I had some difficult times whilst in school but not much more than the fat kid or the geeky kid.

Emmis

I don't think it should affect the relationship your child has with his classmates / teachers etc at all. It's a different generation & we're living in a much more cosmoplitan society. I would just suggest not living anywhere too remote where even wearing a slightly odd pair of trousers could be frowned on! I'd say it's the same as any small town mentality in provincial parts of the UK or the States. And remember there's a huge difference in mentalities in Italy between the North and the South... and I'm talking as the daughter of a southerner! Wherever you live your child could have good and bad times and they will probably have nothing to do with the fact that he/she is half Chinese. I grew up in the UK with an Italian father and the oddest sounding surname but if ever I had sad times it was nothing to do that at all. Don't worry. Italians love kids. How do YOU feel when you're in Italy? That's what really makes your kids happy... you being happy! Hope we get to meet soon!

ardua

We would like to be in a place like Lucca. I really like the architecture and could look at the buildings all day long and not just the magnificent churches. The apartment buildings are fantastic. I like the sound in the early mornings of the city coming alive. I like the fact that everything is on a human scale. We can walk everywhere. I always feel unthreatened and wouldn't hesitate going for a walk alone or just me and baby. I don't feel I can do the same in most parts of the UK now. The English yob/drinking culture is what I would like to avoid for my children. I'm hoping to be in Lucca later on in the year. I would like baby to get used to travel from an early age so hopefully if everything goes ok we will be able to meet up!

Emmis

Your reply sums up how we feel about Italy perfectly. I grew up in the UK with an Italian father and an English mother. I had a lovely childhood and loved both Italy and where I grew up, in Canterbury. But the UK frightens me a bit now, especially now I have 2 kids. I did wild things when I was younger and hope my 2 have as much fun... but I want them to have fun and not feel that to be part of any crowd you have to drink, fight, dress in practically nothing in the middle of winter and think it's cool to have an ASBO. Italy can be incredibly frustrating, the bureaucracy is bananas and they are so disorganised. But it has something so special, so incredibly mindblowingly beautiful about it... and not just the scenery. My husband, who's a Brit, summed it up well; "Lots of things in Italy are small. Cars and homes. But they have the biggest hearts." Italians are ingenui, naive. And I love that. I think us Northern Europeans could learn a lot by living life in a more simple, naive way. Hope we get to meet soon. Stay in touch! Emma x

Sarah Clarke

Just a quickie on the schools thing. I don't think being non-Italian is a disadvantage at all. In my children's school (which is a tiny village school) there are English, Algerian and German kids. My 2 boys have been really looked after by their classmates. They are all so affectionate with each other which is really sweet and all walk around with their arms around each other! (although they do also come home with torn t-shirts sometimes too but I am told they are playing!) They have been really welcomed into the community and the teachers have been really helpful too. It's just a shame that my my daughter won't be able to join them in September as there aren't enough children to make a class.

Good luck with the scan - a great day to have one on Valentine's Day! We are probably going out for a meal this week to open our surprise envelope!! I'm not sure how I will tell my daughter if it is another boy, she has already said she will give it to a charity shop!!!

Emmis

My husband and I are now saying "ahhhhhhhhhh"! Nice warm feeling in our tummy. So happy we've made this decision and your thread has confirmed what we've felt and hoped for ages. Week Thursday we're landing.....hoorah!!!

ardua

Thanks for the reassurance that everything will be fine with being non-Italian. I grew up in Liverpool; my parents did not speak English when they arrived in the UK either. So my English is all from school (I moved to the UK aged 2). So I'm sure my children will be able to learn like I did. The schools sound really good. I will have to learn some Italian too!! So I'll need someone to practise on Emma. Is it better to swap email addresses so we can keep in touch and let you know when I will be coming out to Lucca?
Good luck Emma with the move!! Good luck Sarah with the sealed envelope!!
Anh x

Emmis

you can email me by clicking on my username
off to pack some more!
Ems xx

Emmis

Just to say we arrive in Pisa tomorrow for the start of our adventure!
Hope to meet up soon. I'm nervous, scared and excited...if that's possible!!

Sarah Clarke

Hi Emma,

Good luck, I guess you-ve arrived by now! I was in Pisa today with a friend who talked me into climbing to the top of the leaning tower! I hate heights and especially leaning ones so a big achievement for me!

Get in touch once you are settled in and we can meet up. I can come into Pisa if easier as the bus is fab and only takes 35 mins from Lucca! Ci vediamo!

Sarah x

ardua

Hi Emma,
Hope you arrived and are settling in okay. Good luck!
Hi Sarah, Did you open the sealed envelope?
Anh x

Emmis

We're loving it! We were in Lucca yesterday and it's soooooooooo lovely! We've found a place here to take the kids should you wish to come to Pisa in the week. It's little but lovely and clean! Most of the kids were reeeeally little so Gaia ended up playing alone but Isaac loved it.
There's another one in the afternoons which I'm gonna check out... for 3yrs plus. In fact think might start thread with info on them as great for Pisa area.
Were thinking of Lucca next Saturday if you wanna meet up? Nick would love to meet you guys too and get a low down on things. We really love the idea of living in Lucca but he wants to check out transport.. train was lovely but v. olde worlde and sure never runs on time. You said the bus was fab so that definitely another option... driving in would be ok but parking would be hard.
Off out to check out Cascina... but Lucca is so lovely and Pisa's nice too so it's gonna be hard to beat!!
Lots to rent in Lucca btw... seems reasonable... hope so!!
My mobile no is 331 2400329
Ring for a chat as would love to hear from you.. .if I don't answer I'm probably attached to the baby!!
Love Ems xxx

Sarah Clarke

Hi Emma,

Glad your adventure has started and is going well! It would be lovely to meet up on Saturday but Richard is in the UK now until Sunday. I will call you to sort out another time. I went into Pisa last Saturday with a friend and took the bus. From Porta Santa Anna (where the buses go from) to the leaning tower, it was 35 minutes and sooo easy. I will never drive into Pisa again!! And only 5 euros for a return, so much cheaper than diesel plus parking.

The play place sounds good, but maybe a little young for mine. I'd be interested to hear if you found the older kids play place. Sounds good! Speak soon...

Sarah x

PS. No Anh, we haven't opened the envelope yet!! We are going out next week for my birthday to open it. I must start getting organised and buying some things but I expect I will miss the sales now - we have nothing!

dnd

Hi Everyone

I am new to expats, but i am currently trying to do some research into moving to bagni di lucca. My husband and I would love to relocate to italy but are worried about schools. I have 4 children (2 sets of twins). they are aged 8 years and 4 years.

I have a huge list of questions to ask you all - what are the schools like? where are they? how did your children settle in and how do you go about enrolling them? what are the actual times of the school day, and most of all how are you all settling in?

I would love to hear your answers and honest opinions.

Denise

Sarah Clarke

Hi Denise and welcome!!

Well, where to start ... We almost moved to Bagni di Lucca but decided it was too far from Pisa airport (my husband travels back to the UK often) and also a little too far from Lucca, which we love! Good luck with the move!

Two sets of twins - wow!! I could ask you lots of questions too about four kids as we are expecting our fourth in May. Are they boys or girls or mixed?

We have been very lucky with the schools our children are at. We opted for a small village school for our 2 boys aged 10 and 8 (in San Colombano) as we thought it would be easier for them to adapt. We came over last September with no Italian which was definitely a disadvantage. Six months on, a lot of our English friends expect that they are all now fluent but they are far from it!! They understand a lot, I think but I never actually hear them speak any. They are very sociable, however, and have joined the local football club which is fantastic and have lots of friends at school and get invited to all the parties which is great. Socially, they seem to be doing fine and they are happy which was our only 2 criteria. We are only here for 2 years for 'the experience' so we were not too bothered about the academic side. I used to teach in the UK so know that they will catch up again. My daughter, aged 5, is at a private scuola materna and will join her brothers this September. She has by far the best accent and is learning very naturally. It took her a long time to settle as she couldn't talk to anyone but she now has a couple of friends which has made all the difference.

We had to enrol at the local 'scuola media' when we got here. They will tell you if they have places at the school of your choice and you will need a couple of photos, codice fiscale (I think) and a dictionary if your Italian is like ours!!

The schools are very different to English schools. There seems to be a lot of 'chalk and talk' ie, sitting and listening rather than 'doing'. In my opinion, it is not nearly as good as the English system. For example, art consists of copying pictures. PE is not great - they seem to run around a bit and jump over a stick! They LOVE English of course and are now doing German??!! The maths seems to be all over the place with a lot of emphasis on adding, subtracting, multiplying and division. Not investigations or open ended activities as in the UK. The methods are very different too which has confused me no end!! It is very prescriptive - if you are in 3rd grade, you do this work regardless of ability. But, as I said, we are not really here for the academic side. I have not seen one reading book, for example, and our kids only read English books at home. I don't know when reading is taught or how... They only go to school until 12.40, including Saturdays. On Tues and Thurs, they return for 2 hours from 3 until 5pm. Lots of homework which takes us ages with a dictionary!! Half terms don't exist. Two weeks off for Christmas, 5 or 6 days for Easter and a long summer holiday is the norm plus a few Saints days and non-working days like us.

It took us (me) a while to settle in and I miss lots about England but we have met some lovely (English speaking!) people and have a bit of a social life. The main difference for me is I get no 'me' time as the children come home before lunch and Saturdays are taken up with school/homework and every Sunday, my 2 sons have football matches usually at different places!

I hope that answers some of your questions. Feel free to ask any more!

Sarah