Hi, I'm a single mom, and am wanting to spend 6 months - Jan - July 2007, in Italy with my daughter (9 year old). (I may have posted this before - but couldn't find it) We live in Australia at the moment (have been here for 5 years), and are moving back to San Francisco in July - but I'm interested in spending a few months in Italy before I go "home". I own an Italian restaurant in Australia (!), so cooking is very important to me. I'm thinking of Lucca - but am open to suggestions. I would like to put my daughter in school for the time we are there. Any advice would be much appreciated about where would be a good place where we could have fun, meet some friends, and experience a little of an italian life. Thanks!

We love Lucca and you would probably find it agreat place to live, but also consider Florence. I have a 9 year old and a 6 year old who are in Italian school here and love it. It is a very international city (ie lots of english speaking and other international residents). Since you will only be here for 6 months this might be important for your daughter to make friends quickly with a common language. Many of my kids friends have one american parent and one italian - so I don't feel that they are hanging out with "Americans" or are missing out on the italian culture.

We have found that the schools in Florence are very open to foreigners and have had a great experience there.

Florence is also a very manageable city - easy to walk around the center, good public transport, etc. And of course, don't forget the art and history - every street feels like walking through a museum!

Anyway, just my two cents... Good luck.

Here's my daughter's new blog: Orange and Lemon

Hi, How do you put your children into school in Florence?

I am hoping to come to Italy to explore the possiblity of staying permanently, starting a business, or at the very least, having a respite before heading back to the rat race in the US.

I have two boys who are aged 8 (gemelli), and I didn't think we'd be able to put them into school--we were thinking about home schooling. It would be great if we could put them into a school. Is Florence the best place for this? And these are public schools that welcome international children?

I was just trying to find the fees at the International school there, but I imagine that they are hefty and that we wouldn't be able to get the children into the school at this point anyway. Plus I fear it would bust our budget.

However, if we rented in Florence, then we would n't have the transportation issues, and that would perhaps give us a bit more cash, thinking out loud.

Looking for advice. My husband was the one who first proposed this, now he fears that the kids would be at sea out of school so has retreated.

We would be arriving at the beginning of February and hopefully staying until summer.

Thanks for any advice.

Susan (oh, and I'm coming from Zimbabwe, though when I registered for this, I was in Seattle.)

The good schools in Florence get over-subscribed very quickly. Not heard too much good about the International School and it is about 2000 euros a term (I think!) Kindergarten - a school over near Piazza Liberta is supposed to be very good and is about 400 euros a term - it goes beyond Kindergarten age. I'm sorry I am vague but I am homeschooling my son until he goes back to school in the UK at Easter and I am waiting to move to a more permanent address before I put my nearly 3 year olds name down for a school. I have been told the private Catholic schools are very good and you don't have to be Catholic. You still pay but they are alot less than the other private schools.

Hi Susan,

You could enroll them in public schools but I think that coming in midterm will be too problamatic for all. You would be best IMO to home school for such a short stay and if you decide to make a more permenant move then at that point send them to public. The public system here is wonderful and free (except transport and meals)

Cristina, I have heard some schools will not enrol children mid-term/year anyway, which is another reason I am waiting to move before I put Antonia's name down anywhere as I am assuming she won't get in until September anyway. Is this correct?

Thanks, Christina. I agree with you that the children will have to be home schooled if we bring them to Italy in the middle of the term.

If we do end up in Italy mid-term, it would be great if we could connect with some other children through this site.

Susan