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.