Princess Kate has David Attenborough moment on day 2 of Italy trip - best photos

Playtime

The royal got stuck in watching the children playing and learning. The school's ethos is they see the environment as the "third teacher"

David Attenborough moment

Princess Kate embraces nature in all its forms and she calmly held a newt for the children to admire during playtime at the school. Royal Editor, Emily Nash, is on the ground to report on the action and she explained what happened:

The youngsters led the Princess to the pond, where Stefano Sturloni, atelierista 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." 

A closer look

Kate used a magnifying glass to give something a closer look during a play session with the pupils at Salvador Allende pre-school.

Making music

Hanging instruments invite the children to make music, and Kate thought she'd give it a go herself.

Picture perfect

What a picture for the school wall! The Princess posed in the middle of teachers and pupils to mark her visit. 

Next stop

The next stop on the Princess' agenda was REMIDA, Reggio Emilia’s creative resource centre. The royal gave smiles and waves as she stepped out of the car. 

Beautiful blooms

As she arrived, a young girl presented Princess Kate with a beautiful bunch of flowers. 

A helping hand

The future Queen held hands with two little ones as they joyfully played. 

Kate's TV show inspiration

During the visit, Kate cited kids' TV show character Bob the Builder - saying her family adopt his philosophy. "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," she told the staff. 

Ready, steady, cook

Another of Kate's engagements was at Agriturismo 'Al Vigneto' where she got stuck in to help prepare lunch.

Pasta making

The Princess tried her hand at the pasta machine as tortelli was on the menu. She giggled as the handle of the machine fell off by accident, but looked like a pro in no time. "You are hired," joked chef Signor Lampredi.