For families who moved to Italy and enrolled kids in local schools, the first weeks bring small surprises that no enrollment form mentions: short days, new words, unfamiliar habits at the school gate. By the end of September, the grembiule (smock) has acquired its first ink stain and the parent WhatsApp group is already buzzing with questions about class representative elections and missing notebooks. Italian schools reopen in mid-September, on a date each region sets for itself, and most families take a fgew weeks to settle back into routine.
This article describes what parents and children usually encounter in those early weeks, and the habits that make the adjustment easier.
Who Sets the School Calendar?
The school calendar is regional, so the first bell rings on different dates across Italy.
Italy has no single national start date for school. Each region publishes its school calendar in spring. Individual schools may adjust it slightly, for example by adding a “bridge day”to prolong a holiday, as long as they keep the minimum number of teaching days. In Tuscany the 2026-27 year began on Tuesday, September 15, and classes end on Thursday, June 10, 2027. The scuola dell’infanzia continues until the end of June. The Christmas break runs from December 24 to January 6.
Local saints’ days add their own closures. Florence celebrates San Giovanni on June 24, after classes have finished, while children in other towns get a day off in the middle of the year for their patron. The calendar that counts is the one published on your child’s school website.
What Do the First Weeks Look Like?
Expect shorter days at first, a gradual start for the youngest and a full schedule a little later.
Many schools open on reduced hours. The school cafeteria, the mensa, often starts a week or two after the first day, and until then children go home at lunchtime. In the scuola dell’infanzia the youngest children usually follow a settling-in period, called inserimento or accoglienza. It begins with short mornings that grow longer over the first couple of weeks, and some schools ask a parent to stay close by during the first days.
Primary classes run on one of two models. Tempo normale is usually 27 hours a week, mostly in the mornings. Tempo pieno is 40 hours a week including lunch, with children typically leaving around four in the afternoon. Families state their preference at enrollment, and each school offers places within the staff it has been allocated. Lower secondary schools mostly teach in the mornings, and some secondary schools still hold classes on Saturday.
| School Stage | Ages | What the First Weeks Usually Bring |
|---|---|---|
| Scuola dell’infanzia | 3 to 6 | Short mornings during the inserimento, then longer days once lunch starts |
| Scuola primaria | 6 to 11 | A welcome for first-year pupils, reduced hours until the mensa opens, then tempo normale or tempo pieno |
| Scuola secondaria di primo grado (scuola media) | 11 to 14 | A different teacher for each subject, mostly morning classes and heavier backpacks |
| Scuola secondaria di secondo grado (superiori) | 14 to 19 | Independent travel, specialist subjects from the first day and classes that usually end by early afternoon |
The Grembiule, the Diario and Other Small Rituals
Italian school life comes with its own objects and habits. Newcomers pick them up quickly.
In many primary schools, children wear a grembiule, a cotton smock that goes over their clothes. Each school decides whether it is required and in what color. The traditional split was blue or black for boys and white or pink for girls. Many schools have now moved to one color for everyone, and others have dropped the smock altogether, so check with the school before buying one.
The diario is a school planner. It carries homework, notices and messages between teachers and home, and parents are expected to sign it. It works alongside the registro elettronico, the online register (and often, mobile app) where grades, absences and school communications appear. Children call their primary teachers maestra or maestro. At secondary school every teacher becomes simply prof.
Mid-morning brings the ricreazione, a break with a snack from home called the merenda. Primary school textbooks are free, and from secondary school onward families buy their own from a list the school circulates before the year begins.
At the School Gate
Italian parents stay involved in school life. Get ready for the class chat.
Every class elects parent representatives, the rappresentanti di classe, in the fall. They link families and teachers, and they often run the class WhatsApp group. That group is where you find out about forgotten homework and the next birthday party. Joining it is the quickest way into the school community, even when the Italian moves faster than you can read it. (And it will.) If another parent invites you for coffee, don’t say no. This is an honor and a sure sign that you’re gaining a foothold in your new community.
Teachers meet families at scheduled colloqui during the year. Attend them at all costs. The start-of-year class meeting, the assemblea di classe, is often the first chance to meet them. A few questions written down in Italian beforehand make that first conversation easier.
Language, Friendships and Growing
Children often adapt faster than their parents, though the first month can be tiring.
Children who arrive with little Italian spend their first weeks listening more than speaking. Many schools run extra Italian lessons for newly arrived pupils, often called laboratori di italiano L2. Teachers also appreciate a short note about your child’s background and any Italian words they already know.
For many children, the first month brings tiredness, the occasional tearful morning at the gate and sometimes a sudden refusal to speak English at home. Most of this passes. Friendships grow as much in the park after school and at birthday parties as in the classroom. In Italy, most after-school sports are organized by local clubs outside the school, a subject we will cover in a later article.
If your family is still planning a move to Italy and you would like help with the residence side of the relocation, our team can give you guidance created around your specific case.
What Habits Can Help?
A few routines at home make the first months easier for the whole family.
Keep a folder, paper or digital, for the school’s notices, the circolari. They cover everything from the cafeteria start date to strike days, and in September they arrive often. Checking the registro elettronico each evening becomes routine after the first few weeks.
Learn the handful of words that come up every day: compiti (homework), uscita (pickup time), gita (field trip), sciopero (strike). Then give the whole thing until Christmas. By the first break, most children have a best friend, a favorite maestra and a few words of Tuscan slang that their parents do not yet understand.
If you have questions about moving to Italy with children and would like to chat with our team, write to us.
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Know a family starting school in Italy this fall? Share this article with them. A little preparation makes those first weeks easier for parents and children alike.
This briefing is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Please contact us for advice specific to your situation.
