Attitudes to Children

Holidays by Destination Europe Italy General Attitudes to Children 

There is a kind of double-think over children in Italy. On the one hand they are adored and cooed over, on the other they are treated more as accessory than person - extremely expensive because of the amount of brand new, designer gear required to set them off to advantage.

There is a long-standing tradition of parents keeping their children up to all hours while they eat out or chat over an ice cream in holiday resorts, the result often being a lot of irritable children (some of the worst behaved in the world, judges one operator). Tolerance of child noise is therefore pretty universal. and staff in restaurants and hotels are almost always willing to help parents, for example heating food or bottles and possibly organising laundry.

If you want to sightsee, usefully there is free entry to galleries and archaeological sites for under 18s, which makes it a good idea to carry passports for teenagers.

Playgrounds

Found in most towns to cater to flat dwellers, generally offering shade. They may be supervised in the morning and late afternoon and there may be a small fee. Some hire bicycles.

Baby Changing Facilities

Not many and when out and about you will usually be reduced to using the ladies though smaller restaurants and bars where you can appeal to an older woman may be more helpful.

Buggies

Old stone streets in the more interesting centres are not going to be ideal for these and pavements can be somewhat lacking and doors are not always very manoeuvrable, but they can be used and are fine in the more modern resorts.

Breastfeeding

This is not particularly popular (among the fashionable the French concerns about its effect on your figure prevail) but it is known to be a "good thing" and particularly in less fashionable spots should be OK.

Babysitting

A nanny is known as a "Babeeseettur" but babysitting as known in the UK is rare and creches even rarer.

Traditionally granny has been taken along for such purposes though this is nowadays less common. Hotel staff may be willing to child mind or there may be a local family willing to look after children in a self-catering property. However, this may not be with an English-speaker. Citalia reports that even if you pay someone to sit with your child in a hotel, if there is a problem, you will be called.

Babysitting, reported to cost around LIt25,000-30,000 an hour in the cities, does work out expensive, though British operators where they arrange it, seem to charge closer to £5 an hour.

Baby monitors appear to work though of course not in the presence of a generator, RSGs or over significant distances.

Baby Stuff

Nappies (pannolini) are sold in supermarkets and in pharmacies where they tend to cost a lot more.
Formula is also available in the same outlets. Formula brands include Milupa, Isomil, Humana, Nestle and Nidina, 400g around Lit24,000.

There are Gerber, Nestle, Mellin, Milupa and Dieterba baby foods though Plasmon is the big local brand. There is the odd organic option. Two 80g pots cost around Lit4,000. All contain added salt/sugar. Nappies include Pampers, Linostar Lines and supermarket own brands plus designer Benetton nappies from some pharmacies. Pampers 30 x 11-25kg Lit20,000, own brand 35 8-18kg Lit24,000. Prices as of 2000.