It has to be said, the past couple of weeks have been really tough for parents in Italy. Since mid-June we have been looking for ways to entertain our children during their three full months of holidays. We sent them camping, to the parish summer events (mostly known as GREST), to spend some time with their grandparents, to football-english-swimming-volleyball-acting-'younameit' special courses, …we have taken every possible day off work. It is truly time for change! Now, after a week dedicated to buying stationery, textbooks and smocks, kids are back to school and we are back to work without having to worry about what we can do to keep them busy during the work hours. In Italy, as some of you may know school breaks during the year are focused exclusively on actual holiday events (Christmas, Easter and national holidays), without any autumn or sping breaks leading to very long summer holidays. We thought that this and other differences in the educational system might be confusing for parents who have recently moved to Italy or are considering to bring their family to the Bel Paese, so we dedicated a feature to explaining how schools are organised in Italy and what you need to know about them, from school boards to stationery kits. If you have any questions or want to share your experience join our great community.