Placement Information

Ludum School is an independent, private nursery and pre-school located in Milan. Ludum is perfect for those looking to gain more experience working in an early years setting as the children's ages range from 18 months to 3 years in the nursery and 3 to 5 years in the pre-school. Ludum is one of the first design-oriented schools in the world based on creativity and the design approach. As Ludum's design approach is influenced by the Montessori and Reggio Emilia approaches it is a good opportunity to see them in action in an early years setting. The school is a bilingual school and emphasizes the importance of children learning English from a young age. In each class there is one English and one Italian speaking practitioner so its easy to communicate with the practitioners you will be working alongside with. Whilst you are working on placement you will be assisting the practitioners with everyday activities such as circle time, snack time, lunch time, free play and any projects and activities they are doing at the time. The activities reflect the Italian culture and are normally based on art and design, music and drama.  

Accomodation

When looking for somewhere to stay during our time on placement we used a number of websites such as booking.com and tripadvisor.com to research accommodation in the surrounding area. As our placement was situated near to the busy tourist area of Navigli there are lots of flats, hotels and apartments to choose from.  We were fortunate enough to find a modern-style studio apartment in the Famagosta/Navigli area of Milan called Sensation Loft. The apartment is located in a nice, safe area with easy access by foot to public transport, super markets, shops, bars and restaurants. In regards to its location from Ludum School its only a short 20-25 minute walk. On arrival we were met by two lovely English speaking hosts who showed us around the apartment and provided us with keys and useful contact details including their own. This was very useful and put our minds at rest as if we needed any information or any problems arose we had someone in Milan that we could contact. 

Facilities:

• Air Conditioning
• Central Heating
• Cooker 
• Freezer
• Hair dryer 
• Internet Access
• Iron
• Linens Provided
• Microwave
• Refrigerator 
• 1 Double bed and 1 double sofa bed (There was only two of us so we had one bed each the apartment can comfortably sleep four people.)
• Towels Provided
• TV 
• Washing Machine
• Wi-Fi
• Shower/toilet/sink 

Transport

There are many ways to get around in Milan including bus, train, tram, metro and taxis. When out and about we mainly travelled on foot or using the metro. Personally we found that travelling around Milan using the metro was the easiest, cheapest and most convenient way as our apartment was situated a short 10-15 minute walk from the Romolo Metro station. Although we had to pay for our own transport costs in our first week (which wasn't really that expensive at all), in our second week we were provided with two 10 journey cards by the school which lasted us the rest of our time there. The 10 journey card can also be used on some buses and trains around Milan. There is also a train station next to the Romolo Metro station which would be useful for anyone looking to travel to other parts of Italy. As Milan is quite a busy city we wouldn't recommend using taxi services as you are likely to be stuck in traffic for a long time. If you are looking for a taxi company in the Navigli area especially when travelling to and from the airport see useful contact list below.

Milan Metro Map:

Social life

The apartment that we stayed at was in Navigli which is the 'place to go' for a good night out. Along the Naviglio Grande (one of the five canals) there are many bars and restaurants that you can sit outside of and watch the many people walking past, or if you prefere, you could stay inside and dance to the music. We did not manage to go to any nightclubs in Milan, however, there are many dotted around and will easily find some. In regards to Milan's cultural experiences, there are lots of good quality museums and art galleries that we went to that were interesting to look around. For example, when we went to Duomo, a one off Van Gogh gallery was there and it was displaying most of his actual work. As well as all this, there are many sites to visit, such as the Sforza Castle which we managed to have a look around and, of course the Milan Cathedral where you can experience the breathtaking views from the roof. 

Things to do, things not to do

Things to do: 

Milan Cathedral, Duomo

Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II, Duomo (all the designer shops are in here)

Santa Maria Delle Grazie (where The Last Supper painted by Leonardo da Vinci is situated)

Sforza Castle

Pinacoteca di Brera (an art gallery)

Brera

Navigli

Natural History Museum

Science Museum

 - We found many of these places by just exploring the areas that we caught the metro to. 

Things not to do:

There are many street sellers who stand around the center of Duomo approaching the public trying to sell them items such as selfie sticks and bracelets. As well as this, there are many people who grab your hand and give you corn to feed the pigeons then they expect you to pay them for it. When either of these occurs it is best just to ignore them and keep walking through the crowd, they get the hint and leave you alone. 

Useful Contacts

General contacts:

Clifton Employability Team: +44(0)115 848 3414

Cheryl Young, Employability Department: cheryl.young@ntu.ac.uk

Ludum Nursery School: Tel: 02 56816429 / 02 3658292 Email: info@ludum.it

Ludum Primary School: Tel: 02 36559091 - Mobile: 349 75 13 080 Email: info@ludum.it 

Diego Zaffaroni, Leader of the Preschool who helped us organise the placement: Tel: +39349 7513080 Email: d.zaffaroni@ludum.it

Useful contacts in Milan:

Medical Emergencies: 118

General Emergencies: 113

Police: 112

Fire Brigade: 115

Taxi Service we used: 02/6969 or 02/8585

Before you go

Although we picked up some of the language after being in Milan for three weeks we would definitely recommend that you familiarise yourself with a few Italian phrases before you leave as they will be useful both at placement and when you are out and about in Milan. Phrases that will help you comfort the children when they are upset will be particularly useful as teachers at Ludum feel it is important to comfort the children in their own language.