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Education in Italy

Education in Italy

Italian education is free for every citizen no matter their nationality although you can also find private schools. Italian education is compulsory from 6 to 16 years of age. We can divide it into five stages: kindergarten (Scuola dell’infanzia), primary school (Scuola Primaria or Scuola Elementare), lower secondary school (Scuola Secondaria di primo grado or scuola media), upper secondary school (Scuola Secondaria di secondo grado or scuola superiore) and university (Universita).

Before primary education kids usually go to kindergarten for 3 years. It is not compulsory but every kid is entitled to a place.

At the age of 6 they start their compulsory education, what we call primary school (Scuola Primaria o Scuola Elementare). During these 5 years students learn how to write and read and they study subjects such as Mathematics, Geography, Italian, English and science. Some other studies like music lessons, religion, computer studies or social studies can also be offered. Each class has around 10-25 pupils. Since 2004, there is no exam required to get to lower secondary school.

Between the ages of 11-19, students go to Secondary School, which can be divided in two stages: Scuola Secondaria di primo grado and Scuola Superiore di secondo grado. Lower Secondary School corresponds to the Middle School grades. Students have at least 30 hours per week and they get a report at the end of each term. At the end of their third year they have a written and oral exam that they must pass in order to get what they call “Licenza Media” which corresponds to the British GCSE.

Once they have passed the exam, they can then assist Upper Secondary School. This stage lasts five years (from ages 14-19). We can distinguish three types of upper secondary school: Liceo (specialized in the specific field of humanities, science or art), Istituto tecnico (specialized in the specific field of administration, law, technology, tourism and economy offering a 3-6 month internship) and Istituto professionale (education oriented towards practical subjects: handicrafts, gastronomy, technical assistant, etc.).

Any type of Secondary school that lasts 5 years grants access to the final exam, which corresponds to the British A levels. If you pass the exam you will receive what is called “Diploma di Scuola Superiore” or “Diploma de Maturita”, a diploma required to go to University.

Italy offers a large and international network of public universities. They are managed under the supervision of Italian’s Ministry of Education. Tuscany has some of the best Italian Universities. Pisa University has been recognized as one of the best campus in Europe due to their quality in education. Universities in Italy have become worldwide known and they attract every year millions of foreign students.

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Italian Clothes and Fashion – Shopping Tuscany Style

If you are interested in fashion, Tuscany is the right place for you. We usually think of Tuscany as an expensive place to go shopping, but we are wrong. You can find from artisan products up to leather and gold.

Walking around streets like Via Tornabuoni, Via della Vigna Nuova or Via dei Calzaiuoli in Florence will take you to brand name boutiques such as Gucci, Cavalli, Prada, Dolce & Gavanna etc. But if you are looking for more reasonable prices and great deals, outlets are an excellent alternative. You will find brand name shops and Italian fashion designer clothes not far from the main cities.

We can also find what are called “typical toscan products”. These include the fine craftsmanship required to make elegant gold jewellery found on Ponte Vecchio in Florence or the Italian leather that has been renowned since medieval times and can be found in Florence and around the Arno valley.

Markets are a good alternative for those who prefer shopping outdoors. We can find them around the historic centre of cities such as Florence and they offer a great variety of products.

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Supermarket Shopping in Italy

There are many supermarkets in Italy of all different sizes. Large supermarkets are usually located outside historic centres, in the new parts of town, usually along a main road. They usually have big parking areas and are sometimes part of a mall.

In smaller stores you will find a hand basket-cart hybrid at the entrance. However, in large supermarkets, they use shopping trolleys, which are kept outside chained together. To release it you must insert a 1euro coin in a slot, which will be given back to you when you return the trolley.

It is important to know that in Italy you weight and price your fruits and vegetables. Disposable plastic gloves must be used for hygienic purposes when selecting your products. Once you have selected the products and put them inside a bag you need to weight them. Find the electronic produce scale and press the key code that corresponds to the product selected. An adhesive price tag will print out of the scale, which you must stick to the corresponding bag.

You will find that dairy products such as milk or eggs are not always kept in the refrigerator. Much of the milk has a shelf life of 6 to 9 months, as it is processed under ultra-high temperatures and doesn’t require refrigeration prior to opening.

Many Italians prefer to get their cheese and cured meat at the ‘salumier’ counter, where you will find a great variety of fresh products from all around the country. Supermarkets also offer butcher services within the shop where all fresh products are offered. Some supermarkets also have a ‘pescheria’, where you will find different kind of fish depending on the season. Most of it will be displayed just as it came right out of the sea. You can ask the fishmonger to clean it or to fillet it for you. In all this three sections you need to ask for the right quantity of product you need by weight. You usually ask for ‘etti’ being one etto, 100g.

Italian supermarkets will also offered a huge variety of pasta: all sorts of shape, type, size and brands as well as sauce bottles.

Finally, when you are going to checkout you should know that bags are often charged and that there are no baggers. People usually take their own reusable bags every time they go grocery shopping.

Opening hours
Italian supermarkets open most days from morning to evening or 8pm. Many are open on Sundays even if only until noon, or at least one Sunday a month so if you find it closed it is likely that the next supermarket in town is opened.

Main Supermarkets
The major supermarket chains in Italy are Coop, Conad, CRAI, Esselunga, Pam, Standa, Carrefour and Auchan. They are easy to find as they are all over the country.