Via del Corso

Laura, Sean and I documented a spot on Via del Corso for a photography project given by Stanley Hallett. Here are some of the pictures!

Paris (et Croatia), je t'aime!

When it came to planning spring break, the destination was up in the air for a while. Andrew, Sarah, Steph, Dan and I went back in forth between going to Athens, Portugal, or Croatia. I think I even considered Australia at one point (totally impractical!) But in the end, we decided to go to Croatia. None of us really knew much about the country, but we figured we would never have another chance to go, so why not explore! I think I speak for everyone in our group when I say that I can't imagine a better place to travel. The food, people, and accommodations were incredible. Oh, and did I mention it's gorgeous? We flew into Split, stayed a few days, then drove down to Dubrovnik. Despite the fact that Sarah and I packed on the assumption that the weather would be quite warm (wrong!), it was sunny every day, without a cloud in the sky. We hiked, took sketchy bus rides, made lots of french toast (we had a private kitchen in our hostel!) and took lots of pictures. But most of all, we thoroughly enjoyed each others company. We were so thankful that we were able to experience such a place!

Our trip to Paris had been on my mind right from the beginning of this semester. I had been to Paris once before, with my French Honor Society in high school, and I fell in love with the city. But to my surprise, this most recent trip exceeded my already high expectations. Although I was exhausted after each day, I got to see so much! Stanley Hallett was our guide through the city; he is absolutely fantastic! Along with the tourist hot spots like the Eiffel Tower, La Grande Arche, the Louvre, and the Pompidou, we got to see the Institut du Monde Arab, Cite de l'Architecture, Place des Vosges, and so much more. La Grande Arche was my favorite building. I'm so glad we learned a lot about it's purpose and construction. We even got to go all the way to the top, which provides a great view of the city! I also got to see Notre Dame again, my favorite cathedral. It's been my favorite cathedral since my first visit to Paris, but experiencing it a second time with a better appreciation for its architectural aspects made me love it even more. The food was as equally amazing as the architecture. I fell in love with the falafel's and croissants! I tried to speak french as much as I could, but 3 years away from the language left me remembering only simple phrases. By far my favorite trip so far, I'm glad we could spend a week in the beautiful city of lights! I can definitely see myself returning to Paris, and possibly living there.

Project #2

Proposed urban design for the Porta Portese area

Life in Rome

The majority of this blog has been dedicated to our trips around Northern Italy, and I haven't said much about Rome. So I thought I should at least say a few things about the beautiful city I'm living in!

Every week in history class, we go to a different spot in Rome, and learn about ancient Roman and Renaissance history. We visited the Roman Fora, Campus Martius, the Pantheon, Villa Farnesina, and Villa Borghese. Bernini's sculptures in the Borghese gallery were breath taking; although not quite as big, they sure give the David a run for its money. My favorite sculpture was Apollo and Daphne. The sculpture depicts the moment Apollo captures Daphne, but Daphne is already turning into a tree, escaping his grasp. On days that we aren't designing or drawing in our studio class, we usually use the time to go tour and analyze different aspects of the city. Even in our Italian class we've ventured out to the markets of Campo de Fiori to converse with people, and find out what fruits and vegetables are in season. And of course our sketching class is met at different locations in the city. Two weeks ago we drew a one-point perspective inside the Ara Pacis museum. So a big part of our class hours are actually spent IN the city, and not in a classroom!

This past weekend, we spent our time wandering around the city, with the beautiful weather we've had. Rome is full of such lively character; we saw mimes, artists, dancers, and musicians lining the streets and piazzas. Today, I went to mass at the San Silvestro church. It was quite a different feeling then going to mass back home. The interior of the church is spectacular, so much to look at! Tonight we're all going out to watch the final mens Olympic hockey game, Canada vs. USA. GO USA! We only have one more week in Rome until our Spring Break, and I'm going to Croatia! It's the first time I'll be traveling without our instructors, Vyt and Marina, so I'm hoping our group will make it there and backin one piece. I'm sure we'll have an amazing time. I'll be sure to add pictures when I get back!

Project #1

Northern Italy

Even though I'm missing out on watching the Caps beat the Penguins, I've been pretty occupied here in Italy. We returned last night from our 10 day excursion around northern Italy. We left friday morning for Florence. The train ride was actually really nice. Everyone was always excited to hop on the train and escape the snowy/rainy weather! Even though the weather wasn't the best, I loved every minute of the trip.

Florence was absolutely beautiful! The hotel was really nice, and the room I shared with Anna had a stunning view. One of the first things Anna and I did upon arriving in Florence was purchase cheap rain boots, which turned out to be well worth the purchase with the amount of rain and snowed we trudged through! We visited the Medici library and climbed to the top of the Duomo, where we got to overlook the city.

We stopped in Bologna for a day to sketch. The only problem with sketching was that it was snowing the whole day! So in the end, a day of sketching turned into a day of snowball fights. So we took a bunch of pictures and I sketched on the train ride to Venice. Even though I managed to lose my umbrella, I thought it was a cute town, and the arcaded streets were outstanding.

Venice was a lot different then I remembered. I visited once three summers ago, and it was too overcrowded, and hot. This time, it was cold but less crowded, which definitely made it more enjoyable. We traveled on a metro-like boat system down the water channels, which allowed us to see all the colorful facades of the buildings. A couple of us went to the Peggy Guggenheim museum and saw some Picasso and Mondrian paintings. We had a long discussion with an intern at the museum about Mondrian's minimalist design, that detoured from the Cubism movement. We got to see Palladio's San Giorgio Maggiore, which was by far my favorite Basilica that we saw on the trip. Everyone in the group climbed...well took the elevator...up the bell tower. The view was great! At the end, we all got together for a group shot from the tower. I'm in the "A", with my huge black backpack!

Vicenza was our next stop on the trip. We got the chance to go visit Villa Rotunda. The exterior and interior are both simply beautiful, I can't even find the words to describe how perfect it is. The central hall has a domed ceiling, and the walls are painted in a "trompe l'oeil" fashion. We learned that a family still lives there in the summer. Quite the summer home! Are they looking for any new family members?!

We had great weather for our short stay in Verona. We went to the Castelvecchio Museum, designed and restored by Carlo Scarpa and also saw Juliet's balcony. In Milano, we were very fortunate to see the Last Supper by Leonardo da Vinci. The mural is actually about 15 x 30 ft, I was not expecting it to be that big! Reproductions of the mural do not do it justice, it's stunning in person. We went to Como to see the Casa del Fascio by Giuseppe Terragni, which was great! We also saw lots of snow, with perfect star shaped snowflakes! On our last day in Milano, we went to Il sole 24 ore Headquarters designed by Renzo Piano. I have a new found respect for Renzo Piano, that building is beautifully designed.

Overall, I thought the trip went really well. It made me realize how lucky I am to be studying architecture in Italy. Everywhere you go, there's something beautiful to see. I'm excited for our next trip, but after living out of a suitcase for ten days...I'm happy to be back in Rome.

Two Weeks!

I've spent two weeks living in Rome! Already? It feels like I just arrived! The city is even more beautiful then I remembered. I still respond with "I don't speak Italian" when locals ask me for directions... but hopefully this will change by the end of the semester :) Our first project is due this coming Wednesday, and then we're set to travel north! I can't wait!