Category: Thoughts

This is the final installment of me writing about my study abroad experience, hope you enjoy.

March 21-27th:

Started off Monday by trying out figure drawing for the first time in drawing class. It was a pretty fun experience and a change of pace compared to drawing buildings out in the field. Wednesday we had an Urban Studies walk around the Spanish Steps and Piazza Navona.

Friday we had a Rome as Spectacle tour which covered Chiesa del Gesù, the apartment of St. Ignatius next door, Sant’Andrea della Valle, and Sant Ignazio (which has a neat illusionistic painted dome). Then in the afternoon had yet another walking tour, this one about Medieval sites in Rome for Urban Studies (a little bit redundant with the other medieval walk we had previously with a different professor).

Saturday I finally went out and sent the postcards I’d been racking up during the first part of the semester. To kill two birds with one stone I went to the Palazzo delle Poste designed by Adalberto Libera, which was mentioned in one of our Modern Italian Architecture lectures.

March 28- April 3rd:

Started the week with a walk about Caravaggio and seeing several works of his in churches and in a gallery, such as his three St. Matthew paintings, The Madonna of Loreto, Penitent Magdalene, and Rest on the Flight into Egypt. Had an introductory session the next day about the upcoming Southern field trip- learned that unfortunately we wouldn’t be going to either Naples or Pompeii (gah, if I knew sooner I would have tried to go during Spring Break).

Day 1: The Southern field trip kicked off on Friday, leaving Rome around 7am and heading to Paestum, arriving around noon. We went to the Archaeological Park of Paestum which has a number of Greek temples as well as a museum which houses the “Tomb of the Diver” fresco. Unfortunately it started pouring which made it a bit difficult to fully appreciate the temples and draw them (and take photos hah).

Afterwards we ate at Tempio Azienda Agricola- a water buffalo farm and restaurant. Had buffalo mozzarella as an appetizer, and a sample of water buffalo salami, alongside the main pasta dish. Also got to go out and see the water buffalo themselves.

Although we weren’t able to visit, we drove past and saw pretty great views of the Amalfi coast, Naples, and Mt. Vesuvius. Still lots of rain and fog though.

The first leg of our journey involved boarding a boat- getting our assigned cabins at around 7pm. I’ve never been on a cruise or slept on a boat before so this was all an experience in of itself. The cabins were tiny, had bunkbeds, but luckily had private bathrooms. No windows though, or wi-fi/cell signal, so you were quite literally in the dark and hoping that you weren’t missing any important messages from the group chat.

Spent most of the evening walking around the outside deck, which provided some really pretty views of the sunset. Had dinner from the little cafeteria area, not too bad.

Day 2: Luckily I don’t think I suffer from motion sickness, but the rocking of the boat all night in the tiny dark windowless room did get a bit disorienting and didn’t provide me with the best sleep. Watched the last half of the sunrise on the outside deck, and after a delay we got off the boat around 9am.

Started off the day in Palermo, first visiting the Palazzo Abatellis which was redesigned by Carlo Scarpa. Nice as always to see his museum designs.

Then we stopped by the Oratorio di San Lorenzo, Chiesa di San Cataldo, and Santa Maria dell’Ammiraglio. Ended the morning by seeing the Fontana Pretoria and Quattro Canti. Went to a street market for lunch- had a really good assortment of fried and seasoned vegetables and meats.

Afterwards, we went to see the Palatine Chapel and the Monreale Cathedral, both of which were covered in golden, glistening mosaics from top to bottom. I was able to go on the roof of the Cathedral and see a great view, before it started raining again that is.

A relatively short hour and a half bus ride later and we arrived at our nice oceanside Selinunte hotel, kind of our home base for the next couple days.

Day 3- Took the bus to Gibellina, the town that was struck by an earthquake in 1968 and destroyed as a result. The town’s layout of streets have become immortalized in concrete (or, as immortal as concrete can be) in a largescale monument to the townspeople lost in the disaster. It is a really humbling experience to walk along where the streets used to be and see the monument contrast with the surrounding green hills.

Afterwards we went to Gibellina Nuova, which was the rebuilding of the town at a nearby location. It was an interesting, somewhat apocalyptic-feeling, place to be. The grandiose, large scale urban and architectural projects have largely sat unfinished or in disuse, and seem kind of disjointed between one another.

Around 1:30pm we made it to Segesta. It was a more like a hot 1 mile walk (1250 meters to be specific) up the hill than a short stroll, a fact that they didn’t really tell us so we weren’t quite prepared. The area was gorgeous though, with wildflowers and pretty valleys. We were lucky that the weather decided to clear up. Of course had to put the theater to use and do some line dancing.

On the way back to the hotel in Selinunte we made a pit stop to do a little wine tasting, in this case it sounds fancier than it was. It was a local wine shop with lil plastic cups trying 3 types of wine, alongside some olives and olive oil. At least I can pretend it was fancy and say ~ I’ve been wine tasting in Italy~ now.

April 4-10th:

Day 4- Went to see the cloudy sunrise on the beach around 6:30am, dipped my feet in.

Finally visited the Selinunte archeological site around 9am, which was a short walk from the hotel. It was a very long walk up to the acropolis but there was a great view of the ocean and similarly to Segesta, it was neat to see the remains of temples surrounded by wildflowers.

Checked out of the hotel after lunch, around 2pm, and went on a long drive to Siracusa. Saw Mt. Etna from the bus, one of the biggest and most active volcanoes in Europe. Arrived to our hotel closer to 8:45pm (instead of the 7:30 estimated arrival time, thanks to road construction). As such, a majority of restaurants seemed to be closed, but we were able to find something that was open, and finally secure some cannoli (since they originated from Sicily, should probably at least try one while we’re here). The hotel by the way was very cool, renovated apartment units which meant that each room was different, but ours had a nice kitchenette including a washing machine (not that we’d be there long enough to utilize it) and 2 balconies facing into a courtyard.

Day 5- Spent the morning in Siracusa, taking a short walking tour to see the Tempio di Apollo and Arethusa Spring, before breaking off by ourselves. Saw the outside of Castello Maniace, went to a couple shops, and bought a freshly made Ragu Arancina (arancino?), very good. I really enjoyed walking around, they have such narrow but clean streets.

At 12 we met up at the hotel before loading up the bus and heading to the nearby Orecchio di Dionisi (a carved limestone cave) and a Greek theater which unfortunately seemed to be under construction of some kind (I think to add on some modern seating).

After taking a much shorter ferry ride to the mainland, we reached Reggio Calabria around 6pm. We visited their archeological museum and drew the Riace bronzes- two of the few remaining Greek bronze sculptures because the majority of them were melted down. Afterwards had dinner and tried the gelato place my Italian professor recommended.

Day 6- Bright and early at 8am we were on the bus again, this time to Matera. We arrived around 3pm. Before this trip I don’t think I had ever heard of Matera, but rightfully it has been named both a UNESCO World Heritage site and a European Capital of Culture, specifically the historic part of town called i Sassi (literally “the stones”). The town is comprised of cave dwellings carved out by hand thousands of years ago and occupied up until the 1950’s (when the Italian government forced them out of their homes, but I won’t get into that). All of that to say it was a really cool place to see and experience. Our hotel was even comprised of renovated cave dwellings, so each room was unique.

As a class we went around i Sassi for a bit, including a museum which had a recreation of what the interiors of the cave dwellings looked like when they were last inhabited in the 1950’s. After that we were free to wander around, so some classmates and I went on a hike at the nearby Parco della Murgia Materana, which allows for some pretty views of the town from across the valley.

Day 7- Visited another cave hotel with the class, just so we could see how these cave dwellings were renovated. Even got the chance to climb down a ladder into an old empty cistern. Then visited Casa Cava- a cave dwelling turned auditorium, and drew for a bit.

Went to Madonna delle Virtù and San Nicola dei Greci, two cave churches which also had a modern day Dali exhibit happening. Had the rest of the day free so some classmates and I went off to see some more cave churches, like the town’s Duomo, S. Francesco d’Assisi, Chiesa del Purgatorio (the outside), and Chiesa di S. Chiara. Then took a lunch break.

Obviously that wasn’t enough church sight-seeing in one day, so after eating we went to S.Maria de Idris and San Giovanni in Monterrone, and then Santa Lucia alle Malve. Both had no-photos-allowed policies. The ticket also included entry to the Vicinato a Pozza “multimedia” museum, which I wouldn’t really recommend (also wouldn’t necessarily recommend the two churches either). Bought a hand-carved bread stamp from a local artisan, historically the people of the town had to share bread ovens and so they would stamp the bottoms of them to distinguish whose was whose. Then ended the day with a group dinner.

Day 8- Woke up bright and early at 5am to go on a sunrise hike with some friends, the same route I went on Wednesday/Day 6. It was really pretty, saw some cows, had great weather. Got back around 7:15am, just in time for the complimentary hotel breakfast.

We checked out of the hotel around 8:15, and made it to the bus. We rode for about 2 hours before making it to Trani. Originally we were supposed to go to Castel del Monte, but it was still closed for restoration so we had to reroute. We drew the Cattedrale San Nicola Pellegrino before getting back on the road at 12pm.

We made it back to Rome around 7pm, with a couple of pit stops for food and bathrooms along the way.

Saturday was spent getting groceries and doing laundry, but on Sunday we were once again visiting a church (we just can’t stay away), Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza specifically isn’t open except for a brief window on Sunday and Wednesday. So me and a few friends visited and attended the Palm Sunday service both out of curiosity of how an Italian service would go, as well as to see the interior.

April 11-17th:

Monday started off with another visit to some churches, this time as part of class starting at 9am. We went into “Chiesa Nuova”, attached to the Oratorio dei Filippini. While we weren’t able to go inside the actual oratory theater, we were able to go upstairs into the library.

Also saw Chiesa di Santa Maria della Pace, Santa Maria dell’Anima, and Sant’Ivo (just the outside. This church is just very popular in my classes.) Ended the day with Italian class and working on Design.

Drawing class on Tuesday had us go to Sant’Ivo to draw the courtyard (I wasn’t lying. This is the 3rd day in a row). Then worked on Design before class started.

The most interesting thing I did on Wednesday was go to Libreria Stendhal- the French book store pointed out in one of my walking tour classes. I just wanted to browse and look for books from a French graphic novelist I like (no luck).

Worked all Thursday morning on Design, and after class went to Stadio Olimpico for the AS Roma versus Bodø/Glimt (Norway) football match. We were able to secure some discount tickets in the South side of the stadium, not too far from the Curva Sud (where all the hardcore fans are). Pretty good view, of both the game and the fans, which have their own rituals involving holding up scarves, waving flags, and singing different songs. Rome won 4-0, I am happy we got to see a victory, I imagine the energy would have been much different in the stands and after the game if they lost.

Thanks to Italian holidays, we didn’t have class on Good Friday, or Easter Monday for that matter, so had a nice long weekend, despite just coming back from the Southern field trip. Spent my free time going to museums- Museo Nazionale Romano Crypta Balbi, Museo di Roma- Palazzo Braschi which had a great view of Piazza Navona, and Museo dell’Ara Pacis. Ended the afternoon with some gelato from a gelateria that my Design professor recommended.

Sunday morning I was curious so went to 1 and a half Easter services at churches nearby, including Santa Maria in Trastevere. I was too scared of the crowds (and did not get tickets or whatever else was necessary) to go to the Vatican. That is about all I did for the rest of the weekend beyond working on Design and Urban Studies collages.

April 18-24th:

On Tuesday we went and drew Santa Maria della Pace for drawing class, then had Design as usual. Wednesday morning I went on the ’19th Century Walk’ for Urban studies, then had Italian class. Thursday was Rome’s 2775th birthday, though I didn’t have the chance to celebrate with working on Design and then class afterwards.

Friday we went to the Piazza del Quirinale at 9am to start class. It was raining off and on throughout the walking tour but luckily we were able to seek shelter in a couple churches we were visiting. Went into the Sant’Andrea al Quirinale and San Carlinoalle Quattro Fontane, but unfortunately due to restoration work we couldn’t see the inside of the Santa Maria della Vittoria which houses the Cornaro chapel by Bernini.

The weekend was full of studying for the upcoming exams, but took a break on Saturday to see some of the Rome birthday weekend celebrations. Saw an hour-long gladiator battle reenactment at the Circus Maximus.

April 25-May 1st:

Monday was Liberation Day, but due to the nature of exam week we still had class (boo).

Caught a bus to San Giovanni in Laterano for the last Rome as Spectacle class. We toured the inside, saw the cloister, as well as stopped by the baptistery. Left around 11am to go to our next destination via subway- my first (and only) time taking the subway in Rome. It isn’t really a widely advertised mode of travel, and there aren’t any stops near studio, so I truthfully wasn’t even aware of its existence until recently.

At any rate, we ended up at the Piazza Spagna to finish the last part of class- seeing the outside of the Propaganda Fide complex and Bernini’s apartment, then went inside the Sant’Andrea delle Fratte which houses Bernini’s two carved angels.

Ended Monday by taking my Modern Italian Architecture exam for about an hour and a half, answering 2 short answer questions which weren’t too bad.

On Tuesday I had a drawing class final ‘showcase’ pin-up type thing in the lecture room, with a guest critic. Afterwards studied more for the upcoming finals.

Had my Italian final on Wednesday morning, I think it went well (or at least better than I was expecting), it was a partnered presentation with my professor asking us questions. Then had my Rome as Spectacle final exam in the afternoon, following the same format as the midterm. I felt pretty confident with how I answered everything. Celebrated by getting an oreo bubble tea milkshake, taking a walk with my roommate, and accidentally stumbling upon the Chiesa di St. Ignazio which was part of the exam we had just finished.

On Friday we went on an overdue bus+walking tour for Modern Italian Architecture and Urban Studies (it had to be rescheduled a few times due to the professor having covid). We began by visiting Corviale, a 1970’s residential complex that has probably seen some better days. And then a short bus ride later we made it to EUR, previously named E42 and known for its fascist architecture. Although it is still technically Rome, it felt like we were somewhere far away (and somewhere slightly…. or even very, dystopian). Of course with my luck I brought my camera but I forgot to put in the SD card, so here are some phone photos.

Next up we visited the Fosse Ardeatine Mausoleum, a nicely designed memorial to the 335 Italian civilians killed during a WWII massacre. I’m glad we got to see so many different memorials this semester, learning both about the design as well as the history behind them.

We grabbed lunch at a food market before going to the Unità di Abitazione Orizzontale, and then hopping on the bus again before walking by the 1960’s Olympic Village, Palazzetto dello Sport, and Santa Cecilia Auditorium.

Ended the tour by seeing the MAXXI museum by Zaha Hadid, and ended the day by attending a lecture from my Design professor about spolia.

Spent the weekend working on Design for the upcoming Design final (ahhhhh).

May 2-8th:

Monday was spent working on Design from approximately 8:30am-5:45am (yep).

Took an hour nap to transition into Tuesday, the big Design final day. Wrestled with the plotter in the morning but was ready to present during the afternoon session. I think it went pretty well, and big thanks of course to my Design partner who made it possible.

Wednesday morning I used to cross off some to-dos like seeing Bernini’s Blessed Ludovica Albertoni in the Church of San Francesco a Ripa, and visiting the grave of Giambattista Nolli (of Nolli Map fame) in another nearby church. I walked by these two churches a number of times but never actually went inside until now. Then watched 6 more Design presentations for day 2 of final reviews in the afternoon.

On Thursday we all had to come back into studio to help curate and hang up materials for the final exhibition, which would display work from most of our classes. At night we had our final group dinner, held in some tears.

Woke up 6:30am on Friday and walked half an hour to the Vatican, made it there right in time to get a good spot in line to climb the dome. It opened around 7:45am and it wasn’t too bad of a climb. The viewing area for the inside mosaics was closed though, that was a disappointment. But the view from the top was nice. I think I prefer the Florence dome for several reasons, but one big one is that the St. Peter’s dome has a large fence completely enclosing the viewing area, which makes it hard to get a clear view or photo, while Florence has a more simple railing.

At any rate, as we were leaving we caught the last part of a mass that was happening inside (explains why the mosaic area was closed) which was interesting to see. On the way home we stopped by the Museo di Scultura Antica Giovanni Barracco (such a long name for such a small museum) and the Tiber Island.

Then on Friday evening we had the final exhibition showing off our work to the professors, some Pratt faculty/staff who came from Brooklyn, and even some University of Waterloo kids (who will use the same studio space once we leave). It was the last time seeing everyone in the same place (holding in some more tears).

Saturday was another long walking day. After turning in my studio key I walked like 40 minutes to Villa Medici to see the exhibition they had titled “Scribbling and Doodling. From Leonardo da Vinci to Cy Twombly”. Pretty cool to see the doodles on the backs and margins of things.

Since I was already in the area I walked around Villa Borghese, went into Museo Carlo Bilotti, Museo Pietro Canonica, and Museo Civico di Zoologia. And on the way home I popped into il Tempio di Adriano just to see what was up on the inside.

Sunday I walked to the Vatican once again, this time to see the pope (that just seems like a Rome Bucket List type of item, so might as well, right?). He had a little 15 minute speech at noon, it was in Italian but I could pick out some vocab words and he even wished the audience a happy Mother’s day.

Ended the week by going to the 7pm singing mass at the nearby Santa Maria in Trastevere, as recommended by a professor. Then met up with some friends and finally tried a sandwich from the popular All’Antico Vinaio shop near the Pantheon which always has a long line around lunchtime.

May 9-12th:

Saw my roommate off early Monday morning, and spent the rest of the day walking around and doing a couple last minute errands.

Tuesday was more interesting, I walked to the Centrale Montemartini museum. Dare I say it is probably one of my favorite museums in Rome. It houses the 2nd half of the Capitoline collections, and when I was there it had a temporary exhibit about mosaics (love me some mosaics). Of course the main draw is that it contrasts the antique sculptures with the more modern machinery of the power plant.

After that I went to the Baths of Caracalla, since my Design professor recommended going way back at the start of the semester. Loved all the intact mosaics there (didn’t know I was going to have such a mosaic heavy day but I’m here for it). Ended the day by watching Eurovision for the first time, the semi-finals at least, and yes I know I’m late to the party.

Wednesday was my last day in Rome. Saw my drawing and Italian professors one last time as I was dropping off some art materials at studio (as I was packing I had to make a couple sacrifices). Got my covid test (negative, yay, and also can I just say that getting tested here was infinitely easier than trying to get a test that would come back in time in South Carolina in January, though that is in part to the USA’s less strict ‘one day before travel’ time limit on the negative test). Tried Trapizzino for the first time, an Italian street food place near studio which I had heard so much about but just had never tried. Really good, I think it was appropriately hyped.

Spent my last evening getting some gelato, and walking around the Belvedere del Gianicolo. I didn’t take my camera and my phone died but I watched the sun set over the entire city.

My trip home on Thursday was very long. Woke up 7am, took out the last of the apartment trash, and got a ride to the airport at 8, making it there around 8:45. Security was a long and painful process but made it through at around 9:30. Loitered a bit in the mall to use up some spare time, then got through more passport security to make it to my gate. Got on the plane at noon, originally had someone sitting next to me but since the plane wasn’t full he was able to move and once again I got the ideal 2 seats to myself. Wasn’t really able to sleep, ate all the free plane food (all of which was decent, but the portions are very small). It was a ~9 hour flight but with the time change I landed around 3:30pm eastern time.

Entry into the US was a bit of a pain, probably because JFK is a large airport and I had a connecting flight, but it took an hour in line to get to passport scanning process done, and then get my checked bag, recheck it, and then go through TSA security again. I chose airport Shake Shack as my first meal after returning to America. Rome has some pretty good burgers, so I didn’t necessarily miss those, but I got my unhealthy Fanta back.

Got on my next plane to Charlotte at 7:30, and landed around 9:45pm. Picked up my bag, and got picked up by my parents around 10:10, filled out some course evaluations in the car (due by the end of day hah), then finally made it home close to midnight.

Luckily all the fragile glass items I packed didn’t break, though I was fully convinced that they would, and the glass bottle of Italian Fanta didn’t explode.

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I’ll have some further reflections in my upcoming Fourth Year of Architecture School zine but for now I wanted to end by saying that a professor at our table during the final group dinner said that this study abroad program is run more like a family, instead of some other universities which treat it more like a business. I can’t speak for other college study abroad programs, but I am so grateful for the group of professors and classmates I got to spend 4 months with, and totally agree that it felt like a family.

I will miss overhearing our professors switch over to Italian to haggle with the security people to let us all in, I will remember running into Prof. Piccolo outside of class- all of us holding gelato- “we had the same idea!”, I will miss Prof. Blanchard’s seemingly limitless knowledge, I will remember Prof. Gadeyne’s humor- “What is your name?” “Elizabeth (A.)” “And what is your name?” “Elizabeth (C.)” “That’s what they all say”, I will never be able to think about Mantova without thinking about reciting Rigoletto in Italian class, I will miss hearing the tap tap tap of Tiny running through the studio hallway, I will miss the half-debate-half-conversations of Design class (about spolia or otherwise), and I will remember that Prof. Zeroth can really pull off a neon green bucket hat.

Thank you for reading!

I’ve travelled a whole lot in the past month, so there’s a lot to catch up on.

February 21-27th:

This week went by really quickly (well, they all are at this point). Spent the first half of the week studying for the Italian quiz and Rome as Spectacle midterm, which both fell on Wednesday. The midterm wasn’t too bad (though I still haven’t seen my grade so who knows) and I was pretty pleased with how much I was able to remember, since it’s been a good 2+ years since I had to memorize buildings for a test.

Thursday was very busy- full of classes, an internship interview over Zoom, and packing up a week’s worth of clothes.

Then on Friday, the Northern Field Trip commenced at 7am. All 40-something of us piled into a charter bus and headed on our way. I’ll organize the field trip by days.

Day 1: Our first stop was Spoleto, where we walked around a bit, saw the Cathedral and the aqueduct, and had lunch. Loved the feel of the small town and the tiny arches in the streets.

We then stopped in Assisi. Loved the pink and tan color scheme of the buildings and roads, the mountain views, and the Basilica di San Francesco d’Assisi was gorgeous inside and out. Didn’t have a lot of time there though so had to walk through it quickly.

Finally we made it to Urbino at 6:30pm where we would spend the first night of the trip. We stayed in dormitory housing, which was the nicest little dorm set-up I think I’ve ever been in. Had delicious ravioli filled with Casciotta d’Urbino (cheese specific to the region) for dinner.

Day 2: We woke up a bit before 7am to snow! It’s the first time I’ve seen snow in about two years, I thought I missed my chance this year. It was very windy, and slippery wet snow though (the hilly, old roads were a bit hazardous). We started the day at the Ducal Palace for a tour. The best part of it was the basement- it felt kind of like a cavernous labyrinth, and it also had a really cool drawing exhibition inside.

We then traversed the slippery landscape to the nearby school (Il Magistero, I believe, part of Urbino University) designed by Giancarlo De Carlo. It’s unassuming on the outside but really cool on the inside, having some cool courtyard spaces, spiral stairs, and roof terraces. We talked a bit while in a lecture hall, and had time to sketch and find lunch on our own.

After getting our luggage from the dorm, we went to different dorms (can’t escape dorms even while abroad it seems)- the Collegi Urbino dorms also designed by Giancarlo De Carlo. We talked a bit in another lecture hall (also can’t escape lecture halls), then were able to wander around as we liked in the limited time we had. It was very empty and you could definitely tell the buildings could use some love and maintenance (especially when it comes to rainwater management hah).

We arrived in Mantua around 8pm, so the sun was set, and our hotel was kind of on the edge of town so it was a very empty Saturday night.

Day 3: The bus left for Verona at 8am, and we arrived around 9:30.

Went into the Castelvecchio Museum designed by Carlo Scarpa. After hearing about it so much in lecture it was cool to see it in person, though I feel like there is always a disconnect in my mind about how I imagined it versus what is the reality. Unfortunately the pedestrian entrance designed by Scarpa and third floor walkway (which has the view/approach the Equestrian Statue of Cangrande) was closed so that was a bit disappointing.

Left around 12:15 to do a walking tour around Verona. Saw the ‘Juliet’ balcony (from afar- not about to wait in line), lots of graffiti about love/love locks in the street, some outdoor tombs, waited way too long for a very good panini, saw a bank façade designed by Scarpa, and stumbled upon a Carnevale parade with horses and people dressed up.

We got back to Mantua to finally walk around in the daytime, unfortunately lots of things were closed or not wanting a large group of students to be admitted so we just saw the outside of some palaces. Did get to go inside of Rotunda di San Lorenzo and the Basilica di S. Andrea though. Ended class with some Carnevale confetti. Later that night had dinner at a little family restaurant (whole family was accounted for) and since we were the only ones there they gave us a great experience with free soup and lime sorbet, really nice.

February 28th-March 6th

Day 4: We spent some more time in Mantua, seeing the outside of the Ducal Palace, going inside some churches, and taking time to draw in S. Andrea.

After lunch we set off to Vicenza, arrived around 3pm. We walked around the historical center and saw several Palladio buildings for about two and a half hours. Had dinner- went to a burger restaurant (we miss our creature comforts of American food truthfully). It was a very good burger.

Day 5: Another Carlo Scarpa day! Visited the Brion Cemetery from 9-11am. It was a really cool experience. They had recently restored and cleaned up the cemetery, though it was just our luck that the water door was out of service- since apparently the glass keeps cracking from the movement. This is another ‘always talked about in lecture’ project, which didn’t totally line up with my visualization of it, and was actually smaller than I thought it would be.

Then visited Villa Maser by Palladio. It’s still used by the family though so we could only see a small portion of the inside, with no photographs allowed. Afterwards we had the second group meal of the semester- a lunch of risotto that was a questionable grey color but deceivingly delicious.

To finish up the day we visited the Canova Museum by Scarpa, for about 2 hours. We had time to sketch and wander around. Touching on museum design again like my last update post, I think I enjoyed the experience and relationship between the architecture and art of the Canova Museum more than the Castelvecchio museum (but both are great don’t get me wrong). The Canova Museum with the white-on-white and simple forms gave the sculptures room to breathe and let you look at them as the subject of the space. Meanwhile Castelvecchio overpowered the artwork in a way, even with all the strategic placements and thoughtfully designed platforms/brackets to hold the art.
At any rate, we drove back to Vicenza for our last night there.

Day 6: Around 7:45am we began our journey to Venice! Had to ride a ferry with our luggage to make it to the hotel. We only had time to drop off our bags in the lobby before walking around. We took a little boat across the grand canal (all 40-something of us across 3 boats haha), saw St. Mark’s Square, and went inside Chiesa di San Moise.

We only had a fifteen minute ‘coffee break’ before going to the Olivetti showroom, designed by, you guessed it, Scarpa. This is another example I think of the architecture overpowering the thing it is trying to display, in this case typewriters, though I think they don’t mind- I’m sure having a showroom (or museum or anything) designed by Scarpa doesn’t hurt when it comes to getting visitors.

After 2:30pm we finally got a break to eat and explore for the rest of the day. We wandered around aimlessly for a bit- Venice is very fun to walk around. A combination of narrow but very nice alleyways, bridges of all sorts of shapes and sizes, and a complete lack of cars all equal a fun walking experience. Our Italian professor struck a deal with a gondolier which gave us a 30 euro discount, so me and four others took advantage of that to get the iconic gondola through a canal experience. We went on it near sunset and at low tide so it was very pretty (and smelly). Ended the day with some shrimp gnocchi at a local restaurant.

Venice is another place that I had envisioned in my head, so it was kind of surreal being there, where it didn’t align completely with my version of it (not a bad thing, I think it was mostly the fact that it clicked in my head- oh, this is a real place).

Day 7: Met up at 9:30am to visit the Fondazione Querini Stampalia, which had a first floor renovation designed by Scarpa. We spent a good chunk of time walking around, I really enjoyed seeing the stair connection down to the canal. A bit sad that they had the Scarpa bridge and his intended entrance inaccessible though.

We had the afternoon free again so a couple classmates and I (and we ran into quite a few others who had the same idea) took a ferry ride out to Murano, an island known for glassmaking, also where Carlo Scarpa learned to make glass before he started designing buildings. We went to the The Murano Glass Museum which went through the history and techniques of glassmaking, I think having seen ‘Blown Away’ on Netflix (would recommend) I have a greater interest/appreciation for the craft so it was neat seeing a whole museum about it. Afterwards we went into a lot of glass shops and even saw some glassmakers at work in their studio.

Ended the day with getting back to the mainland around 6pm, walking across the Rialto Bridge, and eating some lasagna.

Day 8: Last day! We had the morning off so went window shopping/ church looking to little success. Then at 11:15am we got on a ferry to get back to the bus.

In the afternoon we stopped by Giovanni Michelucci’s St.John Church by the Highway. I think it has been probably one of my favorite churches so far. I just really liked the forms/materials and honestly it has some unflattering angles on the outside but inside it was really cool.

Got back to Rome around 9pm. First and second orders of business was eating dinner and doing alllll of my laundry.

Saturday was a nice day off in Rome. Went on a couple walks, did some window shopping, caught up with a friend on a video call.

Sunday was another day of travel, this time it was a small group of classmates and I going to Milan, mostly because it wasn’t part of the North trip so we were all curious. We arrived around 10:30am, walked around, ate Chinese food the first time in several months because they have a Chinatown in the city, also got bubble tea.

Went to the Triennale Milano design museum. I really enjoyed seeing some examples of Italian furniture and product design over the decades, since we don’t really talk about those things in class. Ended the day with some more Asian food, and a fortune cookie in Italian.

March 7-13th

The Milan trip continued into Monday, however we decided to take a day trip (yes, a day trip, from our spring break trip, from our study abroad program) to Como, on the shore of Lake Como. It was really gorgeous being surrounded by mountains, technically the foothills of the Alps I think. We were about one-hour walking distance from Switzerland but didn’t opt to go that far. Unfortunately all the museums and things were closed but we could still see the outsides of some Palaces/Villas. Saw swans, several seaplanes, and bought a lil model car Fiat. Grabbed some more bubble tea before getting on a 6:30pm train back to Milan. Also we figured out how to use the subway- it is definitely cleaner (and cheaper-though not by too much) than the NYC subway, but I like the ads more in New York.

Tuesday was the last day in Milan. It was an early morning- going to see the Last Supper at 8:15am, and we had to show up half an hour early for the 15 minute appointment. I think the Last Supper was bigger than I was expecting- I know the Mona Lisa is tiny compared to what most of us think for instance, so I was preparing myself.

Then afterwards we went onto the roof of the Duomo. A good portion of it was under scaffolding, but it was still a cool experience with a nice view. We ended the day with our train ride back to Rome, getting home around 9pm or so.

Wednesday was another break day, used for laundry and running errands to prepare for my next part of Spring Break…

On Thursday a friend and I set out to Puglia (the heel of the boot of Italy). It was a very long morning of a train, to a plane, to a bus, to another train. Our main attraction of the day was Ostuni, a completely white city right near the coast. It is definitely not tourist season yet, and perhaps for good reason because it was so cold and windy, so lots of places were closed and it was pretty empty people-wise. The layers of stairs found in the streets was really enjoyable to walk around in though. A highlight of the day was taking a Piaggio Ape down to the train station to catch our next train.

We arrived in Bari around 4pm, where we had a pretty relaxed night where we had dinner at a local restaurant.

Friday was another early morning- after some confusion we figured out the correct bus to take to the Grotte di Castellana. It was a pretty long bus ride, but we got to our tour in time. We went for the longer tour, about 2 hours and 2 miles long. The first and last cave ‘rooms’ were the coolest, though photography was only allowed in the first. Got lunch nearby, waited very long for the next bus to come but thankfully we were able to catch it and make it back to Bari around 5pm.

Got more bubble tea, got dinner- a vegan burger that was very good actually, got desert- Pasticciotto Lecceses which are little filled cakes that originated in Puglia. Very good.

Saturday was spent window-shopping, looking at the old city area of Bari, and filling in some time before catching our train to the airport, then flying back to Rome, and just barely (talking less than five minutes) catching our train back to Trastevere. Then had to walk half an hour home. Tiring to say the least, went to bed close to 8:30pm.

Sunday was a much calmer day spent in Rome, getting groceries, taking a walk in the nice weather. There has been a noticeable increase in tourists since we came back from the north field trip, that’s for sure.

March 14-20th

And just like that, the north field trip and spring break was over. Monday was back to class, with drawing, Italian, and a lecture.

We kicked off Tuesday bright and early with an overdue walking tour of the Imperial Forum. Then had design class in the afternoon.

On Wednesday I was treated to a free morning after a class got rescheduled. In the evening we had an interesting lecture about marble by an author/architect.

Thursday was a day half inside, half outside. First had a lecture and walking tour of Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza (well, just the courtyard part since the church is closed except on Sundays). Then in Design, after our desk crit, my partner and I went to the Victor Emmanuel II Monument since our building design has to repurpose some of its marble as part of the design prompt from our instructor.

Saturday was a very full but very good day. Started off around 9:30am at the Capitoline Museums, at the insistent request of our professor on Tuesday. The museum houses a lot of cool relics from early Rome including sculptures and other art.

In the evening I got a last-minute ticket to the Turandot opera thanks to my Italian professor. I wasn’t originally in the selected number of people to go, but some tickets opened up and I ran (literally, and then used a taxi for the first time in my life) to the opportunity. It was really cool, but it definitely was not a traditional performance. The costumes and set are by Ai Weiwei which I thought was really cool, and the background was a projection of current day events like protests. The contrast between that and the opera was pretty interesting.

Sunday morning was also an early start, getting up around 8:30 to get to Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza to see the inside of the church before mass. Had to fill in some time though as it turns out it only opens at 10:45, and I only got a very quick peek of the inside of the church before mass started. Then stopped by Largo di Torre Argentina on the way home to photograph some cats (time well spent). Then ended the day by getting some Korean food with a group of classmates.

So that’s all I’ve been up to the last month. In this upcoming month we are doing a trip to the South and have a nice long weekend for Easter, which we normally don’t get, so I’m looking forward to that.

Thanks for reading!

Somehow it has been (a little over) one month since classes started this semester. Time has been moving fast. Here is a recap, I’m gonna put some things in bold in case you just want to skim, hah, I don’t blame you.

Overview:

Here are the classes I’m taking this semester:

Rome as Spectacle– scheduled mostly on Monday and Friday (sometimes one, sometimes both) which is a class comprised of 4 hour long walking tours with the very occasional in-studio lecture. I’d say that this is the ‘main course’ as far as the historical education part of the semester is concerned. We get these little tour guide headsets each class which I don’t think I have never used before, but they are wonderful since we are always walking in large groups and otherwise it would be impossible to hear the professor.

History of Modern Italian Architecture– comprised of mostly-weekly Monday lectures (and soon will be relevant on some of our field trips). I have found that it is overlapping a bit with the Legacy of Roman Form class from last semester, but I think is branching out more as the weeks progress.

Italian 2- on Monday and Friday (and now it seems to be on Monday and Wednesday- in case you couldn’t tell, the classes kind of change each week but there are patterns that emerge). It is a step-up in difficulty from last semester, I feel somewhat unprepared.

Drawing– 3 hour-long class on Tuesday typically (or Wednesday for some people- I think I like having it on Tuesday) where we go out into the city and draw in various places, up to 2 locations per class so far. We use giant A3 size sketchpads which are a hassle to tote around, and we aren’t always sketching somewhere that has places to sit so we have to hold them in one hand. Weather is also an important variable, it is a challenge to draw in the shade at 9am and your hand is going numb, also a bit of a problem when your assignment is to draw shadows but it is an overcast drizzly day. But overall it has been a fun class bringing me back to my middle or high school art class days, refreshing honestly. Can’t say I am the best but I am improving.

Design (of course, as always)- Biggest noticeable difference is that design class is scheduled on Tuesday and Thursday each week, instead of Monday and Thursday. This makes it so you feel a little less guilty doing things on the weekend (well for two reasons, because you have an ‘extra day’ [even though you have class all day Monday] to do design work, and also you’re studying abroad- might as well explore with what little ‘free’ time we have) but also makes the distance between the Tuesday and Thursday class more intense for getting things done. So Pros and Cons.

Urban Studies– Class that typically falls on a Wednesday but also ties in to other walking tours we take on Fridays. This is another class involving the history of Rome, though it is more chronological and is more focused in on the time periods of which things were built. We compile all of our notes, photos, and sketches into a collage for each time period which is a nice change in pace from our Urban Genealogies class from last semester that wanted more polished drawings.

Also each week we have mandatory covid testing in the studio, which is good for everyone’s safety since we are always so close together during class, and convenient that we don’t have to seek out a test ourselves.

Here is what the studio looks like, the inside and some views from the windows:

There might be less resources as far as printing and model-making go as compared to the Brooklyn campus, but after being online for an entire year, that is not much of a problem.

I think it is starting to wane, but in the first few weeks it felt like a summer camp or something (probably a similar feeling to when I was participating in first year orientation in 2018, living on my own for the first time, albeit in a dorm, in New York). Like we have the closeness of campers who are all in unfamiliar territory (and thus we are more inclined to hang out with one another, sometimes with people we didn’t interact with often back in Brooklyn) and who all have the same classes and schedule.

January 17-23rd:

First week of class!

In this first week it was all about introducing the classes. For Drawing we went into the Santa Maria in Trastevere church near studio (as shown in a previous photo from the studio’s window). Design class had us go and investigate several possible precedents. Under the instruction that the precedents had to be visited between the Tuesday and Thursday class, I walked 45 minutes to the Baths of Diocletian by myself on Wednesday and went to the basically-empty museum when it opened at 2pm. And then visited Trajan’s Market in the rain at 9:30am the next day when it opened. And then during design class in the afternoon… we ended up going to the Baths of Diocletian anyway, impromptu. This time we got in for free (gah I paid for the first time). There I go, walking 45 minutes back and forth again. Also had the ‘Welcome Dinner’ on Wednesday which felt fancy since it was served in courses. Tried wine for the first time (meh), as well as tiramisu (pretty good!).

On Saturday, I went to the Bramante Cloister for a drawing assignment. Then got invited to have a great homemade dinner on Saturday at two of my professors’ apartment alongside some of my classmates (they have been running/teaching in the program for many years and each semester make dinner for the students). Tried pistachio ice cream for the first time (at least that I know of), and there was also panna flavored ice cream- delicious (and now I am on the hunt for panna [literally means cream] flavored things).

On Sunday a few classmates and I went to Ostia Antica via the metro. It’s a huge archeological site that “should be as popular as Pompeii,” said my Rome as Spectacle professor upon hearing that we had visited. Pretty cool! I love seeing tiles and mosaics that are still intact. Having ruins with flooring just helps my mind see it more easily as a building that once was.

January 24-30th:

Visited Vatican City once again for the Rome as Spectacle class on Monday. Went into St. Peter’s Basilica. I am trying my best to appreciate the fact that the places we go aren’t as busy as usual, though I won’t really be able to appreciate it fully until I see just how dense it gets (also seeing photos of these places crowded pre-covid is enlightening).

Then on Tuesday drew in Piazza della Minerva (freezing cold in the shade), and Piazza Navona (much better temperature in the sun). Urban Studies on Wednesday had us walk around Campus Martius/Field of Mars and Forum Boarium. Got a really good panini at L’Antica Salumeria (and thus my love of sandwiches has been revitalized).

Thursday, went to Trajan’s Market again, this time to photograph more intently the doorways. Also went to the grocery store- I really like grocery shopping here, it is always interesting what I can find. On this occasion I tried Smarties, which are chocolate as compared to the American candy of the same name, and not very good chocolate at that (at least to my American taste buds), would not recommend.

On Friday classmates and I had to perform in Italian a small scene from Rigoletto- this will be forever imprinted in my mind whenever Mantova is mentioned. Also bought an Italian SIM card, here’s hoping it works as I need it until May.

Then on Saturday I took a daytrip to Pisa! It isn’t on the itinerary for any of the school field trips, and got invited by a group of classmates to go, so I figured I should take advantage of the “free” time I have before design kicks into higher gear. Left home about 6:30am, then travelled to the train station, and went on my first fancy high speed train, arriving around 10am. It was definitely a touristy area. We mostly stuck around the Leaning Tower, and paid to go to the surrounding museums/buildings and climb the tower right before the sunset which provided pretty views from the top. It wasn’t too bad of a climb, just very narrow and a few slippery stairs here and there. Got back home around 12:20am.

On Sunday I went to Trajan’s Market for the third time, paying like always, just to learn that apparently architecture students can get into free (gahhhhhhhhhhhh). There goes 30 euros from all my visits. We went to get more photos for photogrammetry scans for design class. I mean, at least each time I visit I see something new. Also got sideswiped in the face by a pigeon. It was just not my day.

January 31- February 6th:

Walked about 40 minutes all the way to the Vatican Museums for the Rome as Spectacle class. Saw most notably the Sistine Chapel and the School of Athens frescos, as well as a bunch of priceless works of art that I am sure I don’t know the names of. Weird seeing things that I have only ever seen in prints or photos, now in real life. Like closing a gap or something, seeing how big something is, in full context (can relate this to seeing Starry Night in the MoMA). Also broke my glasses in the museum agh, part of the rim chipped. They always fall off my face because of my mask, since they don’t rest properly on my nose. The glasses are still useable (and I brought a spare pair), but I really liked those frames so I’m bummed. Then right after the museum had a 2 hour lecture. Exhausting day.

Tuesday was hourly comic day, so I documented my day hour-by-hour as per tradition, though it was a pretty chill day of just Drawing and Design class. Wednesday was a lecture about the Pantheon, then walked there afterward and got yet another panini. Thursday was a design day, also bought some snacks afterwards from the grocery store.

Friday, February 4th, was my 22nd birthday! It was also the start of the Florence field trip. Woke up 6am to walk all the way to the train station. The train ride was about an hour and a half, then we dove right into Rome as Spectacle class as we were hauling our luggage to the hotel. Didn’t get a chance to rest and just dropped off our bags, and continued class until 2pm. Saw the Baptistery and Cathedral. The off-white walls of the Cathedral with just the dome painted…. ah, chef’s kiss, it was a breath of fresh air. Don’t get me wrong, St. Peter’s Basilica is beautiful and ornate, but a lot to take in. Overwhelming. But the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore was a nice balance. The exterior too was great with the different colors of marble- green and pink surprisingly working together, in patterns pleasing to the eye. And the reddish dome is iconic, of course. During the coffee break I got a chocolate filled doughnut of sorts at Caffè Gilli, which is 43 years older than the United States, just funny to me. After lunch we went to the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. I really thought the museum design was great, recreating the façade of the Cathedral with the original statues on the inside of the museum. I took a class about the history of museums last year which also touched on the design of museums, so I am just living it up honestly. Then went to the Basilica di Santa Croce, which houses the tombs of Machiavelli (we meet again), Galileo, and Michelangelo. Afterwards we finally got to go inside the hotel and unwind. Went to dinner at 7:30- finally got to celebrate my birthday a little bit! Got really good ravioli, tried truffles for the first time in the form of truffle fries (verdict- not bad. don’t completely get the hype though), and got a ‘flourless’ chocolate cake slice with cream cheese pudding and a birthday candle (delicious!).

Saturday was day 2 of Florence. Went to the Hospital of the Innocents (just the outside) and had time to sketch. Went into the La Basilica di San Lorenzo, which had interesting museum exhibit going on with wax guts of people and animals. Then Museo delle Cappelle Medicee, with the Medici Chapels. Loved the stone inlays in the The Chapel of the Princes. Looking up felt like a kaleidoscope. The New Sacristy by Michelangelo was also cool to see, especially since we were just talking about it in lecture the other day. I liked the depictions of Dawn, Dusk, Night, and Day. Got a really good panini from Dal Vinaio. Walked around the Piazza della Signoria, Piazzale degli Uffizi, went across the Ponte Vecchio (so cool), went into several churches along the way. Also the sun finally came out! It had been overcast and drizzly up until the afternoon. Could finally see some natural light flooding into the churches. After class concluded, got some free gelato courtesy of one of the Pratt staff who heard it had been my birthday. It was so kind of her, also I got sung happy birthday to in Italian. Then a couple hours later me and some classmates went to a restaurant for dinner that was recommended to us by the professors the day before, and surprise surprise, the professors were also there for dinner.

Sunday was the last day of Florence, and also the only day without class. Went to the Galleria Palatina and Galleria d’Arte Moderna at the Pitti Palace right when they opened. I just wish it had more furniture still in place, which would also better indicate the usage of each room. I love love love house museums where I can imagine living in them (not that I would ever be so rich), but this was definitely more of a gallery, though with the paintings still in their palace style organization stacked on the wall (also talked about in my museum class last year) it was still cool to see. Had a nice sit-down lunch in the Piazza della Signoria. Went window shopping for a little bit to wait before our timed entry to Brunelleschi’s Dome! I was kind of anxious all day since I heard that it was difficult, but luckily it didn’t trigger any vertigo or claustrophobia in me. There were like 400 or so steps, many spiraling in a tight space, some in between the two layers of the dome so the walls are sloped. At the top there was a great view, it completely blows away the view from the weekend before at Pisa. Afterwards grabbed some gelato before getting luggage and making it back to the train station. Got back to Rome around 7:30pm and walked home all the way from the train station. Long, but good weekend! Probably one of my most interesting birthdays, that is for sure.

February 7-13th:

Had another Rome as Spectacle walking tour right off the bat on Monday morning, this time back in Rome about Palaces and Villas. We went by several and into Villa Farnesina. One of the first rooms was being restored so got to peek and see some restoration work which was cool. Had a cheeseburger for lunch to add some variety into my diet. Then on Tuesday we went to the Temple of Hercules for drawing class, it was an ideal drawing spot with sunlight and benches, as long as we ignored the sound of the grass being mowed right by us. Went to the grocery store after design class, this time trying out their take on chicken nuggets, or as it was directly translated “morsels of breaded chicken”. Not bad. Wednesday was a Medieval walking tour for Urban Studies class, though not a whole lot remains in its medieval form in Rome. Thursday was mostly spent working on design and in design class. Friday was a very long day, with us walking essentially from 9 to 5pm. We continued the Rome as Spectacle class with more Villa and Gardens, taking a bus to Villa Giulia. Didn’t go inside the museum part but walked around the courtyard. Then went on a tram to the Porta Maggiore for another walking tour around the Esquiline Hill. Ended the day with a nice meal at a restaurant (Popi Popi- another professor recommendation) and tried a fried artichoke for the first time, actually delicious.

Saturday we got to celebrate my roommate’s birthday by going to Villa Borghese. We walked there starting at around 7am- early morning. We started at the end of the museum and worked our way back to avoid the crowd. Really wonderful art there, and it felt like we had kind of been transported away from the city. Went on a row boat for the first time and stumbled upon an overlook to Piazza del Popolo. From there we walked down the hill and walked down a Tridente road to our lunch location.

February 14-20th:

Monday was a walking tour starting at Michelangelo’s Campidoglio Piazza. Went into a couple of churches including Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli and Santa Maria Maggiore. The middle of the week was pretty typical class in studio. On Friday afternoon we had a class walking tour beginning at Basilica di San Giovanni in Laterano, and ending at Circus Maximus. We covered a lot of Renaissance buildings out and about, also fragments of aqueducts and the Aurelian wall on the Caelian Hill. I think one of the coolest churches we’ve seen so far has been Santo Stefano Rotondo. I just loved how they kept swatches of the old floor revealed, and I liked the centralized floor plan.

On Saturday I took a walk by myself up to Villa Doria Pamphili and went around the park and some nature trails (got my steps in for the Pikmin Bloom community day hehe).

To conclude, here are some miscellaneous reflections so far-
In some ways I am overwhelmed by both living in the moment while also trying to document everything (through various mediums- photographs, drawing, writing, taking notes). This is something I know I will be asked about until the end of time (okay, slight exaggeration but I still ask my mom about her brief study abroad travels in the 1980’s) and as I draw and write I think of myself in the future looking back at these things. I am living in my memory as I am making it.

This is kind of what I hoped first year would be like, as far as the history classes go. How I would have loved to take walking tours around New York every week- I only remember going on one as part of a class. Though the dynamic I think has shifted here, allowing us to take more time taking these walking tours- design instead of being the dominant class has kind of stepped back (at least for now) and let the other classes breathe as well. Also New York weather is less pleasurable during a big chunk of when classes are in session in late fall/winter/early spring. But I still think I would have liked my first year classes to engage the city a bit more, or even going on slightly longer field trips to nearby cities. We are surrounded by historical and interesting buildings in the northeast but hardly go out and see them.

Lastly, this is definitely the most I’ve consistently walked in my entire life. I’m averaging around 10,000 steps a day, and some days I get in over 20,000. I’ve never had so many blisters haha but I do think I’m also eating better, and more for each meal. So I’m interested in seeing how I go back to my more sedentary lifestyle at home or New York.

So that has been my first month of classes so far! I have been so busy and have learned and seen so much already. Now I actually have to take my first midterms this upcoming week, gah.

In the next month we are going on a field trip up North for a week, followed directly by Spring Break. I currently have no plans for Spring Break but I am sure I will find something to do or somewhere to go.

Thanks as always for reading!