The Princess of Wales was mobbed by young children today on a visit to an Italian pre-school after spending the morning with them exploring nature in the grounds.
Kate, who had again introduced herself as ‘Caterina’, was hugged and held onto by the children after posing for a group photograph with pupils and staff at the Salvador Allende pre-school on the outskirts of Reggio Emilia.
Wearing a blazer by Italian brand Blaize Milano and a fabric bracelet by Atelier Malayan, a small label based in Milan, the princess practised her Italian with children aged three to six and joined them for activities including handling newts from the pond, rolling ‘tree roots’ from clay and marvelling at the school’s peaceful outdoor setting.
Although the visit had not been announced in advance, several hundred people had gathered in the street opposite the school and began the chant of ‘Kate, Kate, Kate!’ and ‘Kate, we love you!’ as she arrived.
She was welcomed to the pre-school’s outdoor assembly area, taking a seat on a tree stump and saying: ‘Ciao a tutti!’ (Hello everybody) as the children introduced themselves to her one by one.
One girl said in English ‘My name is Rebecca.’
‘Well done!’ Kate told her, saying, with a flourish, ‘Caterina!’ when it came to her turn.
Told another child was also called Caterina, she said: ‘We’re the same!’
The children then told her about the outdoor space and what they like to do. Told the children wanted to spend the day having fun with her, she replied: ‘Perfetto!’
The Princess of Wales at the ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia today
The Princess of Wales is learning about education in nature in Reggio Emilia this morning
The Princess of Wales on her visit to ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia
The Princess of Wales during a visit to ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia
The Princess of Wales with children during the second day of her visit to Italy this morning
The Princess of Wales at the ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia today
The Princess of Wales is learning about education in nature in Reggio Emilia this morning
The Princess of Wales at the ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia today
The school places particular emphasis on outdoor learning and environmental education and activities are chosen each morning during assembly by the children themselves.
The youngsters led the Princess to the pond, where Stefano Sturloni, ‘atelierista’ – or specialist teacher – for gardens and nature at the city’s Preschools and Infant-Toddler Centres Institution, showed them a tank containing newts.
Kate gamely joined the children in handling one, telling Stefano: ‘In most urban areas, even in central London, we have newts like this. It’s extraordinary, if you look and spend time, you realise how close it is to you.
‘David Attenborough says you have to be able to experience nature in order to protect it – it’s so true.’
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Stopping at a spot where two little girls were painting the garden, she remarked: ‘It’s so nice for them to be able to stop and take time. Do they enjoy painting and art and drawing?’ She was told the children did it every day.
‘And they can be far more expressive when they do things outside,’ added Kate. ‘Nature itself is creative and free-flowing. It’s a teacher to us in so many ways.’
Crouching down to speak to another two girls who were drawing grasses and flowers, she asked ‘Posso vedere? Wow! Bellissima!’ (Can I see? Very beautiful!).
She spent some time looking at the grasses through a magnifying glass and encouraging the children to do the same, moving on after telling them: ‘Grazie mille, ciao!’
She joined another group who were modelling tree roots from clay to add to a display around a living tree nearby.
‘Can you teach me some Italian?’ she asked one boy.
‘Come stai?’ (How are you?) he asked her.
‘Bene, grazie mille,’ she replied, smiling. Another boy told her the word for ‘roots’ is radici, which she repeated. ‘I’ve learned a new word, thank you,’ she said.
She then rolled her own clay root, before adding it to the base of the tree.
Kate stopped to play some outdoor instruments with another group, including one girl in a wheelchair, who is hard of hearing, but can enjoy sound through vibrations.
Spotting another boy stroking the little girl’s forehead, she asked: ‘Is this your friend? Lucky her to have such lovely friends.’
As she made her way to the school’s exit, she commented on the opportunity to spend time in nature.
‘In the digital age that we’re living in it’s difficult not to forget that we are of nature and it’s important to connect to it. It’s a way to interact with a part of ourselves that we don’t get a chance to, often, in everyday life.’
The Princess of Wales smiles during the second day of her visit to Italy this morning
The Princess of Wales at the ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia today
The Princess of Wales is learning about education in nature in Reggio Emilia this morning
The Princess of Wales on her visit to ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia
The Princess of Wales waves during the second day of her visit to Italy this morning
The Princess of Wales is learning about education in nature in Reggio Emilia this morning
Children wait for Kate at the ‘Salvador Allende’ Scuola dell’infanzia in Reggio Emilia today
Before leaving, the princess was presented with the first English copy of Stefano’s book about nature and learning, called ‘With Your Hearts Outside’.
Thanking him, she said: ‘I’m passionate about creating environments where love can flourish. It’s been a really inspiring visit. These gifts are so special, thank you!’
Outside, she met parents and grandparents who volunteer at the on-site allotments, then joined pupils and staff including the school’s cooks for a lively group photograph.
The group were reluctant to let her leave and children moved in for hugs and adults for selfies.
And before departing for her next engagement, Kate made a quick diversion to say hello to pupils from a neighbouring primary school, who had turned out in force, waving Union flags and shouting her name.
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Annalisa Rabotti, Pedagogical coordinator for Reggio Emilia, who had escorted the princess on the visit, said she felt ‘honoured and very emotional’.
‘She’s a very special woman. She looks you in the eye and treats you as an equal. I was surprised and I’m very happy.’
She said the visit would help to spread the Reggio Emilia approach, adding: ‘I think she (Kate) saw the way in which teachers speak with and listen to the children. Everything begins with the children.’
Later, the princess said it was ‘inspiring’ to visit a centre where businesses donate material to help pre-school children with creative play – adding that it reminded her of children’s TV show Bob the Builder.
Visiting the Remida centre on her second day in Italy, she said: ‘There’s a popular character called Bob the Builder and he has a philosophy of ‘Reduce, reuse, recycle’. And you embrace that here.
‘It’s something as a mother and I feel as a family we do a lot is try to have at the back of our minds.’
The Remida centre is a resource hub where teachers can bring pre-school children to work on special projects designed to boost their learning through creativity.
Unwanted materials, including brightly-coloured wool, string, textiles and larger plastic tubes are brought to the centre after being donated by companies, including Tetra Pak.
The Princess of Wales helps prepare food at rural Agriturismo ‘Al Vigneto’ in Felino, Italy, today
For her final engagement in Italy today, the princess visits a rural ‘agriturismo’ – a farm-stay
She is joining the team at Al Vigneto in preparing lunch as she concludes the two-day visit
The Princess of Wales helps prepare food at rural Agriturismo ‘Al Vigneto’ in Felino today
The children are then invited to use materials in workshops run at the centre, which receives more than 3,000 visitors a year including educators and teachers from around the world.
When Kate arrived at the centre, she was presented with a bouquet of flowers by Nora, aged nine, whose mother Valentina Conte works at the centre, which is owned by the Reggio Emilia municipality.
She was introduced to Eloisa Di Rocco, Research and Training coordinator at Remida, il Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo and Francesco Profumo, President of the Reggio Children Foundation.
Kate said that it was ‘fantastic’ and added: ‘It feels like a museum.’
After hearing about the public private partnership that makes the centre possible, Kate was told about how the whole society worked together in Reggio Emilia to support early years education.
Kate nodded and said: ‘That’s what I’ve really picked up on.’
She touched some of the fabric swatches that children can use to create collages and said that it was ‘fantastic to see’ materials being reused which would ‘otherwise go to landfill’.
The princess sat down to speak to business leaders who had contributed to the project, including Costanza Maramotti of Max Mara, Gianluca Bufo, Director of Iren, a logistics, utilities and data centre company, and Lorenzo Nannariello, Sustainability Manager at Tetra Pak.
Kate said: ‘It’s so wonderful to see businesses really prioritising creativity – it’s inspiring.’
She then went over to a play space where pre-school children were playing with pieces of fabric and balancing on a large section of corrugated plastic tubing.
Kate laughed and held the hands of two girls who were wobbling as they attempting to walk along the tube.
The Princess of Wales plays with two children as she visits Remida, il Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo in Reggio Emilia, to understand how the city supports early childhood
The Remida centre is a resource hub where teachers can bring pre-school children to work on special projects designed to boost their learning through creativity
The Princess visits Remida, il Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo in Reggio Emilia today
Kate at Remida, il Centro di Riciclaggio Creativo to learn about how the city supports children
When she left, she was given a gift of swatches of fabric from the staff. She said: ‘Thank you. It’s a reminder of my time here.’
For her final engagement in Italy today, the princess will visit a rural ‘agriturismo’ – a farm-stay – to reflect on her experiences during the trip – and learn how to make pasta.
She is joining the team at Al Vigneto in preparing lunch, along with many of the people she has met during her visit to Italy.
Yesterday, the princess greeted well-wishers with an ‘I am Catarina’ as she won hearts in Italy and marked her royal comeback in style.
Italians gave Catherine a rapturous welcome as she slipped easily back into royal duties on her first solo overseas trip in four years.
Putting her cancer treatment firmly behind her, she met children – including a very excited-looking baby – posed for selfies and chatted to the residents of Reggio Emilia.
The city in northern Italy is famed for its pioneering approach to young children, a crusade close to the princess’s heart.
Baby Elena, aged three months, was held over the barrier by her mother Marta and beamed as the future queen stopped to play with her.
Looking relaxed and radiant in a blue Edeline Lee trouser suit, the princess – who honed basic Italian during her gap year in Florence – met schoolchildren and told them in their native language: ‘I speak a bit of Italian. What is your name? I am Catarina.’
Alice, five, said afterwards: ‘She asked my name in Italian. She spoke Italian very well.’
Alice was among a crowd of about 3,000 people who welcomed Catherine at the start of her two-day trip to the city.
It is the first solo overseas official visit for the princess, 44, since she went to Denmark in 2022 before her cancer treatment, and palace aides say it is a ‘huge moment’ for her to be back.
Yesterday she wowed her hosts on a royal ‘walkabout’ outside the town hall.
The Princess of Wales meets baby Elena in Reggio Emilia on day one of her trip yesterday
People stand at a window to see the arrival of the Princess of Wales in Reggio Emilia yesterday
The Princess of Wales is welcomed to Reggio Emilia by royal fans yesterday afternoon
People wait for the arrival of the Princess of Wales in front of Reggio Emilia town hall yesterday
Maria Angelo Redaelli, a teacher who had set her alarm for 3.15am to make a 130-mile trip from her home, said: ‘I just love the Royal Family and I just had to be here. The princess said my hat was very glamorous and I gave her a rose. She is so beautiful.’
Marilena Prediere, 43, of Reggio Emilia, said: ‘I said give a big hug to your children. I said you are beautiful and it’s a pleasure to meet you. This is a historic moment.’
Royal fans whooped and bellowed ‘Bellissima’, ‘Kate’ and ‘We love you’.
At a pre-school later, Catherine said ‘ciao’ as she joined a group of five youngsters writing animal names.
Spotting one that said Lupo, which means wolf in Italian, she said: ‘That was the name of our dog. Our dog was called Lupo.’
A teacher said ‘it must have been a big dog’, but the princess replied: ‘No, it wasn’t actually. It had a big personality.’
Outside the Anne Frank infant school, excited youngsters swamped her with hugs and high-fives.
And after she left, many of the teachers started crying, showing just how much the royal visit means to the small Italian city.
Catherine also visited the world-renowned Loris Malaguzzi International Centre where she met pioneers of the ‘Reggio Emilia approach’ of child-led learning for under sixes – which is similar to the Montessori method and aligned with her Royal Foundation Centre for Early Childhood.
The princess said that it was important to encourage ‘children these days to slow down’ because ‘their world is so fast-paced now’.
