Living near Ventimiglia, Liguria with Toddler

[honeyzest]

Hello
I have recently moved here. Can anyone tell me how to find things to do with my little girl during the day as Italians do not seem to have toddler groups etc.
What do the Italian mothers do?

If anyone else is living nearby and would like to get in touch I'd love to hear from you

Ciao

[xdiesp]

What you want is to enroll your baby in a public or private "asilo" (kindergarten), which then opens you more options as for the activities you two can join later. For a good private one, you can ask your neighbours or the local church for the "asilo delle suore" (nuns)... which tends not to be free... but also keeps the stardards' bar quite higher. Social groups of mothers are not common in this part of Italy (I mean, actual associations, not groups of friends of course!), whose infants population is the lowest of the country.

Ventimiglia is a sleepy town populated by shop keepers (commercianti) patiently waiting for the french tourists who come visit the city market on every friday, and people working on the other side of the french border who do only return to town for a night shelter. What's more, I suggest you avoid 2 areas of it altogether: Roverino and Ventimiglia Alta (the old city) because of punks and general nothingness around.

Excluding its beaches, it is particularly devoid on interests for anybody but the elderly so consider widening the scope of your search up to (at least) the area of San Remo on the east (30 minutes ride in a bus), a much more lively place. But don't despair, traveling around with some spirit you will find that the place is a peculiar mix of mountains and sea, with both vacationing spots, nature sports and food available (which is the only reason people still live there).

Anyway it's summer already and you are supposed to alternate between the beach and the Giardini Pubblici (the gardens near the center) for a couple of months. You would meet several other mothers in there, but I wouldn't swear on their ospitality or ability to speak english. However don't despair, as you're not the first english woman to adapt to the place: for one, my brother married a girl from the UK and now they have been happily married for 20 years in the place.

The whole riviera ligure was a favorite spot for english nobles in the 19th century, as you would see visiting the ancient natural museum of Bordighera and the fabolous Hambury Villa in western Ventimiglia.