#8: Tellaro and School Lunch Drama
Ciao!
It's been a busy week for us here in Lucca. We're in the midst of school orientation (inserimento) for Raffy and Leo - a highly complex operation which seems to take a month and involve different hours for each of them every day so we are all kept on the tip of our toes at all times. Raffy is starting in the infanzia (kindergarten) and she has a uniform to wear which she absolutely loves. It isn't quite the smock with the big bow that Jim wore at his first day of school in Melbourne, but it is very cute!
Leo meanwhile is in the nido, which is for children under the age of three. Tomorrow he has to pass the 'prova pranzo' (lunch test) and if that is a success (which it obviously will be because that boy loves food more than life itself) he will undertake the far more perilous 'prova nanna' (nap test) on Friday. The outcome of this one is highly uncertain, but I hope he will behave! Stay tuned for the results next week.
The parents as well are much more involved here than in Australia. Last night we had two assemblies to attend, with full presentations from the teaching staff about the school's pedagogical philosophies and plans for projects and themes for the whole year ahead. Mamma mia!
Luckily I have made friends with a few other parents who are happy to translate anything I miss (which is most of it). It all seemed to go quite smoothly ... until we arrived at the topic of the school lunches. At this point, all pretence of order and even respect seemed to go out the window. More than a handful of parents stood up to shout and gesticulate wildly.
I couldn't follow all of it, but the general gist seemed to be that the food provider was not up to scratch for the precious bambini. One of my fellow parents said later that it is the same every year and that the food is actually excellent. In fact, each year a committee of parents evaluate all possible providers and select the preferred one, but despite this no one is ever satisfied!
We spent the weekend in Tellaro, which is a picturesque town in the Golfo dei Poeti (Gulf of Poets) named for the fact that it was a favourite haunt of DH Lawrence, Shelley and Lord Byron. What a magical place! I almost don't want to tell anyone else about it.
The old town could easily be mistaken for Manarola in the Cinque Terre, just without any of the hordes of backpack and sandal-clad tourists clogging up the tiny laneways. Plus it actually has sandy beaches for swimming in the crystal clear water. We will most certainly be returning, and I feel exceptionally fortunate to have found such a place only an hour away from Lucca!
Like many Italian towns, Tellaro has a strong identity of its own which is centred on a fantastic tale. Legend has it that a fearsome pirate tried to conquer the town under the cover of a dark and stormy night. A giant octopus emerged from the sea and climbed the tower of the church to ring the bell and alert the town, saving them all. The octopus is now the symbol of Tellaro, and you can see the image everywhere on the buildings, signs and businesses. Somewhat amusingly, they also cook and eat an incredible amount of polpo. An interesting way to pay homage to the creature that saved them?
As always, all my love. I hope you're well and enjoying the start of springtime in Melbourne - the best time of year in my opinion!
Kate
