Living in San Giorgio di Pesaro and Kingston

Last Friday there was a town meeting to discuss the future of the schools in San Giorgio. Currently there is a primary and an intermediate school. Falling pupil numbers have raised concerns about the viability of both schools. Piagge the nearest town has a primary school with even lower pupil numbers than San Giorgio. Proposals to combine the schools have been made in the past and are being made again but coming to a decision is problematic as no village wants to give up its school and so feel moribund.

One proposed solution was to have the first three years of primary school at Piagge and to have years 4 and 5 of primary and the first three years of Intermediate at San Giorgio. This, to me, rather obvious solution was not immediately adopted. Infact, suggestions were made that a new school, half way between the two villages should be built. No thought about finance requirements in this solution, only emotional reasons.

The problem is further complicated by the fact that both towns come under different educational boards. This administrative issue would have to be resolved before the idea of a San Giorgio/Piagge merger could go ahead.

Today was carnival day in San Giorgio. The theme of this year’s parade was Ancient Rome. The floats were inspired by the civilisations of Rome, Egypt and Barbarian i.e. vikings. Local schools and groups provided plenty of colour and pagentry for the occasion.

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I have begun to give some English lessons to a few 15 year olds. They are keen footballers and play for the “San Giorgio Allievi”  (the under 16s). Two weeks ago they celebrated their first victory and first 3 points of the season. However, the one swallow didn’t make a Summer and last week they returned to form losing 10-0 to San Andrea. Their 3 points puts them at the bottom of the league. Perhaps the English lessons are having an effect and they are realising that it’s not the winning that’s important but taking part.

Two days ago we had snow again in San Giorgio. Another winter wonderland. It did not stop the intrepid Englishman who went for his”three times a week” 5 km walk.

For those of us who do not take 5 km walks it was possible to stand at the back door and watch the birds eating the remaining olives on the tree. It was possible until a hawk swooped down and tried to grab a bird. It missed but the birds decided to find somewhere safer.

p.s. just to the right of Bill you can see part of a modern sculpture presented to us last year by up and coming artist “Mike Asente & son”.

We normally meet Federica (telephone sales) and Roberta (English teacher) on Friday at 6.00 for an hour’s English conversation. They both use English at work and had wanted an opportunity to talk with native speakers. What started out as an “English Conversation Class” has become a very pleasant way to wile away an hour or so over a cup of tea, a slice of cake and a chat.

This week Friday wasn’t possible so we met on Saturday afternoon and they took us for afternoon tea in the Caffe del Pasticciere in Fano. It is just outside the centre of Fano in the middle of a small group of shops. The area is a bit unprepossessing but the cafe itself is very elegant and it is famous in Fano for its cakes. We ordered our coffees and teas and then went to select our pastries and biscuits. When we returned the drinks had arrived but also plates of biscuits, which, unknown to us, are given out with the drinks. Two minutes later the pastries and biscuits we had ordered also arrived at the table. It seemed a lot of food and we  didn’t think we would be able to eat them all. But somehow we managed most of them.

The evening English class starts at 8.30. and finishes at 10.00. It is the “younger” group ranging from 21 to 67. This group has just finished Dracula and as with the previous group want to move away from the horror theme. So we are moving up a reading level and trying “Chemical Secret”, and environmental thriller.

Here they are (left to right):

Silvio: “not currently in work” Silvio passes the time reading, playing tennis. The only Italian I know who belongs to a library.
Germana: originally from San Giorgio she now lives in Fano and runs a “rental property agency”. Her work means she has put the English she has learned to practical use.
Anna-Lisa: former first lady of San Giorgio as her husband was a former mayor. Elections this June may mean that she will be first lady again.
Sauro: a geologist who works in the mountains. Leaves work at 7.00, gets home at 8.00 and despite this manages to arrive in the class with a smile on his face.
Kenny: real name Daniele but for reasons lost in time known as Danny. Lives and works in Fano.
Luanna (standing): owns and manages a local grocery store which is open from 7.45am to 8.00pm 6 days a weeks and is a god-send when you’ve forgotten to buy something for lunch or dinner. In any spare time she has she enjoys photography.
Terry (standing): the teacher.
Raje: designs jewellery for a shop in Mondavio. Speaks French, Arabic, Italian and now English. She even understands local dialect.
Nicholas: an interloper from Piagge (our nearest town). Has lived and worked for a short perioid in Galway and decided that learning English in San Giorgio is more interesting than learning Irish.

Every Wednesday I give two English classes. The classes are now in their 3rd year and even if little English is learned everyone has a good time.  

The afternoon class meets at 3.00 pm. This is the “pensioners group” as only one member works. In the class we are currently reading “Dracula” from the Oxford Bookworms series. Last year it was the horror story “The Monkey’s Paw”. They want the next book not to be a horror story.

And here they are:

Front row left to right:
Juliana: could retire but enjoys work so much she continues to teach primary school – including some English.
Anne (special guest for the day, 4th Feb.): has come to live in Mondavio, a nearby town, and agreed to come to answer questions about why anyone would want to retire to Italy. Everybody liked her and she may be asked back.
Lory: worked in the Post Office. Now she is San Giorgio’s local branch of the NSPCA. She has or looks after 4 dogs and 12 cats. She is also deputy looker-after of our cat when we go on holiday.
Rina, Alfredo: the only husband and wife team in the group. They have moved from Bologna to live in San Giorgio (for the quality of the air). They enjoy gardening, inviting people to lunch and giving them far too much food.

Back row:
Anna: was a teacher in Rimini but now spends her time gardening and sorting out simple issues for family members living abroad e.g. project managing the restoration of her sister’s house in Orciano.
Rinaldo: a former accountant. Lives with his sisters and brother (the local priest) and still manages to keep cheerful. Enjoys cooking and talking in dialect instead of proper Italian. Rinaldo is the chief looker-after of our cat when we go on holiday.

A medieval tradition is alive and well in Urbania (town about 50 kms inland from us). The weather for the coming year is indicated by an onion. On the night of the 24^th January (Eve of the “conversion of St Paul) an onion is cut into 12 parts (one for each month) and sprinkled with salt. They are left outside and the following morning any changes to the salt on the onion pieces are noted and a forecast made for the coming year e.g. if the salt has dissolved it means rain. (Emmanuela Forlini is the expert forecaster. She learnt from her father who learnt from his father a farmer). Fortunately another expert in Jesi (about 50 kms south of us) does his onion reading on January 1 and for this year provides a more promising view of the year ahead – at least for the Summer. (more…)

In San Giorgio local residents are able to follow courses on basic computing, decoupage, English and now Cooking.

Three lads from the village who are involved in the catering business offered an 8 week course in cooking. Expecting a class of 20 they ended up with a class of 40. Each week has a different theme – fish, game, leftovers, desserts etc. All for a cost of 15 euros.

Every week the class makes about 5 dishes and so sometimes it is hard to follow what is happening as we are grouped into teams of 3 and each team does a different dish. The classes begin at 9.00 pm and I never managed to taste the food as the classes never finished before mid-night and sometimes later. I always left about 11.00 but have been assured the food is delicious. All the students will have a chance to display their talents when, in two weeks time, there is an evening for family and friends.