Week 6

Though this week is not yet over, we will be departing to Istanbul on Sat for a week so I felt it was appropriate to document my travels now before I left.  This week we ventured up north and visited Villa Giulia, which was partially built by Michelangelo.  I remembered studying this in one of our history classes but our teacher neglected to mention the overall composition of the site.  The grounds of the Villa are quite extensive; it is composed of several enclosed green spaces which create a symmetrical landscape and there is also a constant change of the ground plane which helps to create a more unique experience.

Since we completed our second project (a simple theater design parti within Rome), we had the remainder of the week off.  We decided to visit some of the more notorious churches in Rome - Parrochia San Croce in Gerusalemme and Basilica di San Giovanni.  Both churches were remarkable, we were even able to witness some of the relics of Christ. Parrochia San Croce housed the nail which was on Jesus' cross, the thorns that were once a part of the crown of thorns worn by Jesus, and a piece of Jesus' cross, among others.

For the next couple weeks I will not be posting any updates.  We are spending a week in Istanbul, studying a majority of the mosques and the influence Roman architecture played in Constantinople.  Once we return from Istanbul, I will be traveling to Amsterdam, with a few others, and will be conducting some independent studies in this architecturally-rich city, looking at the different periods of architecture and how they all work together in the urban fabric.  We will also be taking a day trip to Rotterdam to view some of the contemporary buildings and urban design spaces which are present there.

Week 5

This week we explored the transition period of Rome and visited a few churches which were apart of this transition.  Since the weather was nice this weekend, we went exploring around the Olympic Complex.  The Olympics were held in Rome in 1960 and still, to this day, the complex is amazing.  The tennis courts, which we somehow went into, were all placed in the ground - we could not even see them from outside the gate.  The Olympic Stadium is placed next to the outdoor track/soccer field.  Statues are placed around the field, as well as, the tennis courts.  We were also able to visit the Olympic pools and, across the river, we walked through the village where the athletes resided.

Week 4

This week we visited several memorable locations - Renzo Piano's Parco Della Musica, as well as, the Vatican Museum.  I have always been a fan of Renzo's work; he is able to create a strong relationship between form and function and his spaces are very appropriate for the site in which they are placed.  The plaza in which the theaters were placed was smaller than I imagined but after a tour of the site and the placement of the theaters, the size seemed to be quite practical for the site - it even seats 2,800 spectators.

The Vatican Museum was a very impressive series of exhibits which outlined several important moments in the history of the church but, as well as, the impact that art placed on architecture.  The Sistine Chapel was always something that I was eager to view and I was not let down.  The stories and tales placed within the paintings are truely remarkable.

In other news, we have completed Project 1 and are about to start the next assignment.  Project 1 was an analysis of a piazza in Rome - our site was Piazza Capranica, which is located slightly northeast of the Pantheon.  We were told to compile a composition of the piazza's history, site, existing buildings, and analysis.  I was very satisfied with my team's final product.

Week 3

This week we traveled to Northern Italy and went to several cities to view some of the most influential pieces of architecture.  Our first stop was in Florence; once we arrived we immediately visited Santa Maria del Fiore.  At the historic church designed by Brunelleschi, we climbed to the top of the Duomo.  After climbing over 450 steps to get to the top, we had a tremendous view of the city.  Once we all registered the panoramic views, we descended to the bottom and continued our journey throughout the city.  Other buildings we visited were the Palazzo Strozzi, Santa Croce, the Pazzi Chapel, Santa Maria Novella, and the Piazza Michelangelo.  Though the weather was very cold, we were fortunate enough to sketch at all our destinations - the Florentine steak at our group dinner wasn't bad either.

After a couple days in Florence we then took a train to Venice.  I was always intrigued by the city and was curious to see how a city operated with no cars.  We visited several churches and studied how they were all influential to eachother and the impact they had on architecture.  Piazza San Marco was a very profound space and was a very large urban space - I was very impressed.  We also explored several of Carlo Scarpa's buidlings and details.  I had never heard of him before, but after experiencing his spaces I like his work.  During our free time we were able to take a short ride in a small gondola (not the real deal but it will do) and explored the city - many of the streets leading to a dead end or a bridge over the several canals in the city.

The next two cities we visited, Verona and Vicenza, were both smaller and was a nice change of pace from Florence and Venice.  Vicenza was a very quaint town and was composed of several Palladio designs.  Villa Rotunda and Teatro Olimpico were my favorite buildings and spaces from the trip.  I enjoyed the pace of Vicenza more than any other city and I favored the architecture styles as well.

Our last city was Milan - the largest city out of all of them.  The Duomo was a very elegant piece of architecture and was the first Gothic building we had seen on the trip.  The Galleria Vittorio Emmanuele was an outstanding space and captured the idea of an interior/exterior space very well.  On the last day, we took an architecture tour of the modern architecture in Rome and we toured a Renzo Piano building.