313 Hi

My Mother is Italian from Bettola, Piacenza in Emiglia Romagna. She came to Britain after the War when she was 18 years old. Apparently she really loved the sound of the English language after hearing the British soldiers speaking.

There was an Italian lady married to a wealthy Englishman, She was originaly from Mum's village and had come back on a visit. She was looking for an Italian au pair to help in the home and with the grandchildren. Mum jumped at the chance. She was accompanied by her cousin.

They travelled to England intending to stay just for one year. Tragically that winter my Mother's Father died unexpectantly in his early fifties. That must have been so hard for Mum as she was a Daddie's girl.

The family she lived with were very good to both girls and were very happy there.

One day Mum spotted a young postman and thought that he looked rather nice. She managed to engineer it so that she was at the gate each time the delivery was due. Needless to say they fell in love, eventually married and had a family. I am the eldest I have a sister Paula and a brother Stephen.

Dad was very keen that we should be very close to our Italian family and made lots of effort to ensure that we visited at least every two years.

I thought it was wonderful and was very close to my grandmother, aunts & uncles. Once I was old enough I used to spend the long school holidays there. I had a Saturday job and saved hard all year for the airfare.

I fully intended to settle over there. Fate stepped in and I meet David and feel in love with him. We got married and still live in the UK. He is as close to all my Italian family as I am. They think that he is wonderful and the feeling is mutual.

We have managed to ensure that we take our children over to Italy at least every other year. My mother and father in law have been over, as have my sister in law and her husband. They have also bonded with my family.

Our children are now 21 & 18 so we have started having holidays on our own. We stayed in Umbria last year, incorporating visits to the family in Piacenza and my cousin in Rome.

This year we are visiting the family again but spending 5 nights in Venice.

It's great that Italy Magazine has set up the forum. I'm sure it will prove very useful.

Gina