Roman Forum

Roman Forum

Sunday, February 20, 2011

By Your Side


The other day I read a quote that really struck me. "God wants you to get where God wants you to go, more than you want to get where God wants you to go" (M. Batterson). This made me think a lot. Not only about faith but also about myself and my time here in Italy. I can remember before even starting at CUA thinking about studying abroad. And I can remember saying to myself, "No way would I ever study abroad. I would be way too homesick and there is no way I could live in another culture". As time went on and the option became more real, my mind opened up a bit to the idea. I thought, maybe I can do it. Maybe it would be good for myself and for my career as an architect. I am so used to "American" architecture and what it means to design within the borders of the United States. What would it be like to learn first hand, about the buildings we have studied for so many semesters. Then the thoughts came back of no... I could not be away from the comforts of home and CUA for that long of a time. It was a constant battle back and forth with myself about taking advantage of the opportunity that laid before me. The more I contemplated the idea, the more I started to think that I would be ok with going abroad. As the time became closer to making the decision, I went from being ok with the idea to being excited about it. And now look at where I am, writing a blog from Roma, Italia!

There was a lot of praying that went into this decision. I was nervous. I was leaving the known and heading into the unknown. Now grant it, this is nothing of the third world country sorts where I would not have the conveniences and similarities to home but it was still a new culture and I had no idea what to expect. I truly believe that it was not all me making this decision. If I go back to the quote, "God wants you to get where God wants you to go, more than you want to get where God wants you to go". It was part of God's plan that I am here and experiencing this awesome opportunity. I knew deep down inside that I wanted to study abroad however we always question the decisions we make. From complex decisions to simple decisions such as should I go left or should I go right. Trust me it's hard to decide to go left or right especially on these small Roman streets. But all along, as I was agonizing over whether or not to study abroad, God knew what was best. God wanted me to get where He wanted me to go more than I wanted to get where He wanted me to go. So from first hand experience, if you might be wrestling with a tough decision, give it to God. Let him take control and just like me, you will not regret it!

I think by taking this opportunity, it helped solidify my place as an architecture major and even better my future as an architect. Or at least that's what I think now... 

Yesterday, a few of us climbed to the top of the Aventine Hill, one of the seven hills of Rome. From our dorm room window, we can look out at the Aventine. We always see people at the very top looking out or from our window, it kind of looks like they can see right into our room. So we decided let's explore a bit. As we climbed to the top, I realized I never put a memory card back in my camera so no pictures from the Aventine. But the struggle of the hill was well worth it in the end. The view is breath-taking. And the other good thing is that you cannot see into our room! We visited three different churches on the hill and apparently, the Pope will give Mass from one of the three churches on Ash Wednesday. I love exploring Rome.

Now we have our week long trip to Istanbul to look forward to! Now that is going to be a change of culture. 

Sunday, February 13, 2011

Stand in Awe

It's almost the middle of February... the weeks are flying by quicker than I can ever imagine. It is so hard to believe that I have been in Roma now for over a month. I've mastered the art of ordering a coffee, made friends with a few cafe owners and bar tenders, and successfully completed our first project for studio. It's a strange feeling right about now. I absolutely love it here but there are sure things that I miss from home. The big thing being hot showers, that is one thing that will take more than a month to get used too. And these pesky ants... I cannot begin to tell you  
 how many bottles of any spray we have gone through already. But other then that, I really can't complain.

I keep going back to the quote we heard when we first started our trip here in Rome; "Don't let school get in the way of your learning." School has been very unique here. We don't really have "class" in Rome. We have class but not the normal idea of class. It's a totally different way of learning. We are out of the classroom and experiencing architecture hands on. This experience is helping to tune my passion for architecture. We are immersed in it. Even when we are not "in class", we are in class.

This past weekend, a few of us took a day trip to Assisi. Assisi is a town in the region of Umbria in Northern Italy. It is the birthplace of St. Francis, the founder of the Franciscan Order and St. Clare, the founder of the Poor Sisters. I knew only a little about the town of Assisi but I learned so much more after visiting it. Not only was this a travel day to get out and explore different areas of Italy but it was a day to study architecture. We have been told countless times, if a church door is open, always go in because you never know if it will be open at a time convenient to you again. We took full advantage of that this weekend. Assisi is filled with numerous churches, the Basilica of San Francesco, the Cathedral of San Rufino, Basilica of Santa Chiara, Chiesa Nuova, and Santo Stephano (one of the oldest churches on Assisi). Each one has a unique characteristic. Some had clear floor tiles that allowed you to look through the floor at what once stood where that church stands today and others started at ground level and brought you down two addtional levels. As we descended down at the Basilica San Francesco, you have to move slowly to take it all in. As you continued down, it brought you to the tomb of St. Francis which is buried under the main Basilica. It was beautiful. A solid stone structure, intended to be unseen was uncovered slightly and exposed for viewers to see the casket of St. Francis. There were many people praying and kneeling at the tomb. As I looked around the small chapel that was formed around the tomb, there was a silence and splendor in the faces of those in observation.


It is architecture that allows this to happen. It is the architecture that describes the feeling and mood in the space. It is the architecture that allows such a way of celebrating St. Francis. Architecture affects more than one may realize. I think we tend to take it for granted sometime, or at least I know I do. We live, eat, sleep, and work in architecture everyday. When you truly think about it, it affects us more than we tend to think. What would happen if architecture did not respond to our lives and our environment? Imagine how different life would be...

As we made our way to the very top of Assisi, we climbed even higher into a centuries old castle. The views were remarkable. You looked out upon the vastness of the Italian landscape and it was beautiful. To see the landscape and the slope of the hills, the surrounding mountains is something we do not see too often at home. The question now is how does architecture respond to this landscape? Or any landscape in which it serves? We will have to see if I can come to that conclusion with more exploration and time spent drawing here in Italia!











Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Progetto Uno

Project One: Analyzing Urban Space, Void within a City


Our first studio project for the semester consisted of a group assignment where we analyzed a piazza within the city fabric of Rome. We looked at ancient maps, modern maps, circulation of people at various times, location, as well as sections, elevations, and perspectives of the site. And all done by three of us without the computer.

Spoken For

Wonder. The dictionary defines "wonder" in the noun form as something strange or surprising or a cause of surprise, astonishment, or admiration. I would say that wonder is the first word that came to mind as we ventured from structure to structure, building to building. The train ride from Rome to our first destination was a bit suspenseful. All I really knew about Florence was that it was going to be cold and we were going to get a chance to visit the Duomo. It was a bit like this for each city on the itinerary. I think we all knew a little about each city but until you experience it full on, can you really get a sense for the architecture and the wonder of it. 

As we entered Florence and headed to our hotel, the streets were filled with people and vendors. Florence is known for its leather production so as you walk down the streets, shop owners are pushing there leather bags, coats, wallets, belts, and gloves in your face. Santa Maria Novella, was first on the list. I cannot begin to count the number of times this facade has appeared on slide shows and history tests however the first word that came to mind was "wonder". Studying the geometries, patterns, and diagramming the facade made such a bigger impression than looking at a picture. I remember Eric giving us all the "let's go" sign and none of us got up. We were all so into our sketching and understanding all the geometries of the building that he pretty much had to take the pencils out of our hands so that we could move on to what was next on the agenda. Little did we know, next on the agenda was the Duomo. 450 steps later, we were on the top of a cathedral designed by Filippo Brunelleschi. Talk about wonder... a 360 degree view of the city. How Other than the architecture, I think the other best part of Firenze was our group dinner where we were served Florence Bistecca and vegetables on the side. It was a nice change from our pasta and pizza diet.






Next thing we knew, it was time to board the train and head for Venezia (Venice). Again, as we approached Venice, the suspense was building. I have heard about Venice, seen Venice on the television, and even in movies and it was exactly as I was picturing it. The Grand Canal running through the center, small canals intertwined with the city, steps from buildings leading right into the water and disappearing. There are small bridges that lead you over the canals as a Gondola boats makes it way under you with the operator singing in Italian. While in Venice, we visited Piazza San Marco and two other beautiful churches, Il Rendetore and San Giorgio. The two that we visited were in my opinion more unique than most that we had seen that week. They we simple on the inside. Lots of white but to me that made them more beautiful. It didn't have an over excessive amount of tchotchke. It is such a different way of life on the water. They use Vaporettos (water busses) to get from place to place within the city. I would love to go back in the warmer months and see what the city is like.


                            


                                       

On our way to Vicenza, we stopped in Verona for the day to explore some Carlo Scarpa architecture. We saw,what looked like a cruise ship in my opinion, building as well as a few other buildings. One of the most interesting of the day was CastelVecchio. This is an old Castle that was restored by Scarpa in a very unique way. He wanted to respect the old yet combine the new. So in many places he made a clear distinction between what was old and what was new. I think my favorite aspect of his architecture are his stairs. He made sure there was a separation from the old wall with the new stairs. He designs stairs with a unique design and even with a specific way to walk up them. As soon as I saw his triangle steps, the word wonder came to mind right away. I have to say however, his triangle steps were very comfortable to walk up. Next stop Vicenza!









Vicenza was a unique city in itself. There were not too many popular landmarks that one would know off the top of their head. It was however filled with Palladian architecture. Palladio was an architect from the 15th century. We were given a opportunity to visit Villa Rotonda, a renaissance villa designed by Palladio built on a hilltop right outside Vincenza. It is know to be one of his best works. Most people are allowed to just walk to grounds of the villa however because our Program Coordinator Marina is awesome, she was able to organize a tour of the inside. This is rare because there is a family in Italy that actually owns the Villa. They come in the summer months and stay a few days at a time. It was just awesome to sit and sketch the exterior for a few hours then head in and experience the inside of the amazing piece of architecture that so many buildings from today use as a precedent. It didn't even take walking inside of this beautiful piece of architecture before the wonder feeling set in. With its strong axes, geometries, and views, it was hard not to be amazed. 






Last and final destination was Milano. Milano is very different from all that we have seen since being in Italy. It is the fashion and economic headquarters of the country. As a result, it is much more modern and contemporary. Much of the architecture is apartment building that were built in the 19th and 20th centuries. This is the first city that we got a chance to see skyscrapers. We packed a lot within our two days here. Once again, we got the chance to climb to the top of the Duomo in Milan as well as to visit another Castle, however not nearly as cool as the one by Carlo Scarpa. The second day was a bus tour and we were given a chance to get off take pictures and experience the building. We saw a Renzo Piano building that was extremely modern and very different from what you typically think of Italian architecture. The colors and shapes of buildings in Milano was something I took note of. And I cannot forget to say that the front store in the Renzo Piano building was an Aston Martin store. Lets just say I got a couple good pictures of the one. What could be better, Aston Martin and beautiful architecture!








Wonder. I had to keep pinching myself a few times throughout the trip just to make sure that it was real life. It is a totally different way of doing school. As Dr. Dawson says all the time, "don't let school get in the way of your learning". We are definitely not letting school get in the way of our learning here in Roma. It was an exhausting week and it was funny that we were all ready to back home to Rome. We did have a little issue getting back home however... 20 minutes outside of Milano and our train decided it was going to stop working. So we sat for about two hours until they could bring us another one and they just moved all the passengers off one and on to the other. And then we were on our way for our 3 hour train ride from there. Like Gram always says, "It's called makin' memories". And I will tell you one thing, there was a lot of memory making this past week!