Seeking Info. About Aviano Schools/area

Hi C. - I am currently livingi at NAS Sigonella in Sicily. I have not been to Aviano and can not speak for that area in particular, but I can tell you about Italy in general. We are enjoying living here, although as civilians, it has been infinitely difficult getting assistance with housing and problems (primarily - our internet took six ridiculous weeks to set up). As far as I hear, this is par for the course in Italy. Utilities are difficult and things are much slower, unlike in the States. That being said, I feel as safe living here as I did in the States. Most homes here have tall fences and an electronic gate to keep out any would-be burglars. Supposedly, Italian burglars are nice and will never enter the home when anyone is there:) Living near your landlord is a big plus. Generally the lady of the house is always home and will keep an eye out for you (ours lives next door, and it's great!). As for schools, my son is too young to attend Elementary School. I have heard mixed things about the schools here. They happen to be brand new, so everyone was excited about that. I don't think DODDS schools have the best reputation, but you could say that about most public schools in the states too. If you have any specific questions, feel free to email me at ____@____.com luck! So far we are loving it here (despite the occassional frustration), and I think you guys could be happy here as well!

It is a DODDS school so it is what it is. Average (hopefully). I'm not in Aviano, but in Germany so I can't tell you for sure, but I will say that the DODDS school system has gone downhill in my opinion since I attended it back in the early '80s. The expectation level is low and the teachers are in a rut and refuse to think or do outside the box to me. On another note, Naples has water issues and lots of demonstrations. You may want to inquire about Aviano's water/demonstrations. We travelled there for 2 weeks to see the museums and things with our children and enjoyed it immensely though I will say drivers in Italy are more of a challenge than drivers in Germany.

Good Luck. Look for a Wives Group for Aviano on yahoo. We have one in Germany for Germany-wide, but you need an italian one for the military.

Hi
We moved to Aviano almost a year ago, our daughter was born here, and we like it. I have not had personal experience with the schools, but most parents seem happy with it. We also know some people that have their children in the Italians school and they are also happy and their children seem to enjoy it as well. There is also Italian preschool (Asilo), for your 3 year old that I have heard wonderful things about. The area is beautiful, crime is low. There have been occasional break ins, but it is usually from people not locking windows/doors. Our landlords live near us and are always looking out for us as well. We tell them when we will not be home and they walk by our house to make sure all is well. I have not heard of any violent crimes every being reported. The Italians are very friendly and love kids. The food is great and there is always something to do. Please feel free to email me if you have any questions that I can answer.

C.,

HI. We just moved to Aviano from England and we really like the area, and have really enjoyed being overseas in general. My son goes to the School on base and has had no problems at all. The schools are all in the same area so its nice and convenient. The areas around the base seem really nice as well. We live in a town called Sacile and its beautiful, and very easy to get to Venice from here. (From my door to the train station to Venice itself is only 55 minutes. With 5 of those minutes getting to the train station.) We have been told that the house we live has had no successful problems with break-ins. Apparently they tried once but they were unable to get in, and that was over 7 years ago. Most of the people around our area look after eachother and are very quiet. We only have one other American on our street and other than that its all Italians and they seem great. If you have any other questions or would want some pictures of the area please let me know. I also have a friend that her husband is a teacher as well and she could be helpfull on that aspect. My email is:
____@____.com