On Montessori and Naples

I love our Montessori schools at home in New Zealand.

The lemon is as big as Clara's head!

The preschool is beautiful and peaceful.  It nurtures the little people inside our children, bringing forth their innate love of learning. And our lovely primary school, which is three classrooms inside the bigger school of Bellevue, has grown in the last 10 years from just a handful of students to over 50 learners.

Our kids have flourished with Montessori and will remain our first choice for education for the Douglas monkey’s….

However, one’s eyes do stray a bit…. Especially mine, when it comes to travel. I understand the importance of the community and a home base. It is fundamental to giving children the stability to go forth in the world.  So I couldn’t help but research the Montessori school that one of my friends told me about in Italy. And it just so happens to be in Naples.

And so that is how we happened to be on the hydrofoil from Sorrento to Naples early (well, 10am) the next morning. When we told the kids we were going to look at a potential school for them they were all horrified. No way, New Zealand is our home. Of course it is, but wouldn’t it be wonderful to spend six months in a different culture, learning another language and making friends? Hmmmm, they weren’t too sure.

On the Sorrento Docks

The school is quite unique (and similar to our own Bellevue Primary school) in the fact that it was founded by a handful of NATO parents wanting a better education for their children. The school opened in 1958 and now has over 400 students from preschool to 10^th grade. It is located in Naples, securely situated on the NATO military base.

I have called and made an appointment for an observation, so after the hydrofoil we took a taxi to the military base and waited at the heavily guarded gates waiting for someone to come and escort us up. Only they didn’t come, due to the mother’s day pageant, (this is still Italy) and finally the guards called and got permission for us to come up. Apparently we weren’t too much of a military threat with our four charming children, as they let us hike through the base up to the school itself.

It’s always interesting to see another school and how they do things and of the different challenges that they have. Children from 27 different countries, some not speaking either English or Italian, would certainly be one hurdle. Needless to say they have a lot of focus on language and culture, which is brilliant.

The head directress, and her son (who runs the administration side of things), was so very welcoming and kind, and give us a full tour of the school.

The view of Mt Vesuvius from the Bay of Naples Hydrofoil

Liana was sold as soon as she found out (and saw pictures) of the 7^th, 8^th and 9^th grade classes and their field trips. They regularly go to places like Scotland, Ireland, Germany etc…. it’s all pretty close by. Clara joined in one of the younger classes and made friends right away.  Suddenly all their hesitation was gone. So, when do we start mum and dad?

We had a picnic lunch on the patio of the school, admiring the view across the Bay of Naples. And wondered if we should do something like this for a while. I guess you can say, “watch this space”, but then, there are many places still to explore before we can commit to anything.

Always at home in a wheelhouse!

From the base we all cram into one tiny taxi and head back to the hydrofoil. The driving in Naples is absolutely nuts. Lanes? What lanes? Red lights? Just a suggestion. It has a rougher, more gritty, feel than the other cities we’ve been to so far in Italy. (One of the minuses of the school, its location.)

The Cliffs of Sorrento

Naples is a beautiful city in it’s own right. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. With known settlements dating back to the 9^th century BC and today is the third largest city in Italy (behind Rome and Milan) with the fourth largest economy. In addition to the NATO base, it is head to MSC shipping line, among other big corporations. And the port is giant. It has the second largest passenger flow in the world, second only to Hong Kong. And yet it still retains a patina of its history. Most of the downtown is a UNESCO world heritage site and displays so many facets of the cities past - Naples the Greek and Roman town, Renaissance beauty, and the powerful Kingdom of Naples (which only fell with the unification of Italy in 1861). And most importantly it is the birthplace of my family’s favourite food – PIZZA!

The cruise back across the harbour is beautiful. Mount Vesuvius standing tall to our left as we come into view of the cliffs of Sorrento. All six of us go up to the wheelhouse and enjoy the view. Liam is sporting new Italy sports clothes and trainer shoes for practising soccer in so he’s Happy As Larry.

Liam in his football kit....

By the time we get back to the Palazzo Montefusco it is late afternoon and Liam is champing at the bit to go find a soccer match. While I was sick they discovered the local boys get together in the afternoons at the church and play soccer in the courtyard.

So off he goes, minutes after arriving home - with his father’s blessings. I am not totally comfortable with him walking five or six blocks through a foreign town without a mobile phone and not speaking much of the language, but then he’s been doing it for several days now. And later on when I go to spy on him he’s in his element running around and high fiving the local boys. They walk off after a goal with their arms around each other. Liam couldn’t be happier.

Eating out is a fancy affair

Sorrento town closes the streets to cars for the evenings on the weekend and the whole town must come out to stroll along the streets and be seen. And of course there are the tourists. They can be easily spotted though and sidestepped if needed.

After the obligatory and amazingly delicious pizza we fall into bed, looking forward to the adventures tomorrow…. Capri awaits!

Campania, A Volcano and a Sunny Bench

Somewhere in the night my temperature spikes, I get a delirious fever and feel down right awful.


Wall frescos in Herculanium

When the alarm goes off I take as much panadol and ibuprofen as I can and hope it's just a quick bug. We are off to catch the train to Naples and see a different part of the country - Campania.

I do remember part of the train. I had set aside some of that time to work with the kids on their home work. (Oh yay, math first thing in the morning.) But by the time we reach our van tour/transfer the pain killers are already wearing off and I am thankful that the van is organised and ready to go. I curl up into a ball and remain so.




Four cute Romans in Herculanium

From the Naples train station we make a stop at Herculaneum to see the Roman seaside town that was covered by a pyroclastic flow from the famous eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Covered in 20 meters of mud and ash it remained perfectly preserved for 1600 years! This is where the rich people from Pompeii would have had their beach homes. It may not be as big as Pompeii, but the fresco's are very well preserved and the two story wooden houses give you the feel of walking down an ancient Roman street.


After Randy and the kids have had enough (I moved my foetal position from the van to a bench) our driver, Tony, suggested that we go up on Mt. Vesuvius for lunch. He took us to a little boutique vineyard that makes all their own food. The owner met us and took everyone (sans moi) around to see the grapes and feel the soil and admire the view from this lovely spot. I don't eat, but the food looks amazing. Fresh bruschetta, spaghetti with home grown tomatoes. And wine tasting. Randy says it is fantastic. Somehow food can really impart the feeling of the land that cannot be shared any other way. Taste is a wonderful sense.

Learning about the forum in Pompeii



Clara makes bread in a perfectly preserved Roman oven

Pompeii, the grand highlight of this area. (At least in the kids fascinated minds.) What must it have been like all those years ago when the ash and smoke started falling down the mountain and covering the city. There was warning of course and many Romans would have left days before, but many thousands died that day. Pompeii does something to the imagination. Maybe because the city is still fairly intact, and you can see the shadow of Mount Vesuvius always present, it is easy to put yourself in the shoes of the people and what they went through on that day.

And what a find for the interested archaeologist. It is a perfectly preserved Roman town, frozen for all eternity during the time of the Pax Romana. The small details that aren't written about in the Roman histories and aren't usually found in archaeological digs were preserved. In Herculaneum some 300 bodies were found, preserved by the mud, where Romans usually cremated their bodies. In Pompeii the people were literally encased in ash and the space where their bodies lay were perfectly preserved. The archaeologist who uncovered them made plastic casts of the people which still lay where they died on August 24, 79 AD.....

I transferred to another sunny bench and again Randy and the kids went in without me. They hired a guide who was excellent. The girls came back to find me and couldn't stop talking about how they were able to grind grain on the ancient mills. And they walked through the forum and sold olive oil. They were in a real Roman bathhouse with real Roman tiles. He really engaged their little imaginations.They were Romans for the day. Perfect.

Lucky for me I have been here before so when they describe their experiences I can imagine exactly what they saw.

And so we end our day in the town of Sorrento, on the other side of the lovely Bay of Naples from where we left our train this morning.

The next days are a bit of a blur. I know that I am sick. I know that the wonderful people who run the Palazzo Montefusco (our b&b) take me to the hospital in Sorrento and I get antibiotics and other stuff. The owners wife makes me chicken soup. Randy keeps the kids busy and happy. They all check on me, give me love and show me their special purchases and tell me about their discovery of gelato and crepes. I feel all their love and I'm sure it helped me get better - eventually.

After three days I emerge on wobbly legs and take my first walk around the old town. Our b&b is an ancient building 1,000 years old right in the heart of the walk-only downtown. The streets are cobblestone and everywhere there is lemoncello and fresh fruit. Italy may be in an economic crisis, but the focus is still on having a good life. Liam shows off the lemon that is the size of Juliet's head. The old man who sells them laughs. These are the moments that make us humans happy.

I am happy to be out of my sick bed, but still not up for much. I am glad to be able to enjoy the kids and my amazing husband and this beautiful town.

Tomorrow is Friday and it's our last day for making a visit to the Montessori School that I have been in touch with in Naples.....