Clemson in Genova

The Ligurian Coast

2009-04-26T02:47:00.000-07:00

Genoa is the capital of Liguria, a coastal region in Italy. As a port city, the port is very much the center and heart of Genoa. The villas follow the terracing of the land and stack up the hillside directing all of the views down into the port and out to the sea.

The port redevelopment Master plan by Renzo Piano has helped to reconnect people to their port, from which they were divided by sea wall and elevated road for many years. Now the port is the largest tourist attraction in Genoa, with an aquarium, Il Bigo (a lift for panoramic views), shopping, and restaurants. Il Bigo, with its allusion to port architecture, is now the centerpiece of the port.

Many of us have traveled to other nearby locations on the Ligurian coast. The closest frequented location is still within Genoa, but just south of the center: Genoa-Nervi. Here a boardwalk extends along the rocky shore, allowing people to stroll up and down the coastline, stopping for gelato or a visit to the art museum.

Even further south, but only a thirty-minute train ride from Genoa central, is Santa Margherita with a connection to Portofino. Portofino, famous as a luxury vacation spot for yachters worldwide, is just a short boat or bus ride away from Santa Margherita. Here the limited development surrounding the natural harbor transforms quickly into forests that extend up the hills. The castle and lighthouse elevated above, provide beautiful views out to where the earth, water and sky meet.

Another popular weekend destination for our group has been Cinque Terre. This area, perhaps made famous by Rick Steves, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site on the Ligurian coast that includes five agricultural villages with hiking trails between. These small villages punctuate the landscape with their bright colors. The villages, again centered on the water, with the terraced hillsides behind them exhibit a continuity between architecture and landscape. These colorful rugged blocks are stacked up the hills seeming that they have always been there. Hiking between the villages provides fantastic views as you travel from each unique village to the next.

The places along the Ligurian coast that we have had the chance to visit while here in Genoa have consistently provided insight into the relationship between architecture, land and sea. The vernacular architecture reveals an understanding of the rocky terrain and the importance of the sea. The buildings built in this region seem integrated into the landscape with their rough colorful exteriors focused on the sea.

The Thermal Baths - Peter Zumthor

2009-04-22T02:33:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the semester I joked about going to the2009 Pritzker winner, Peter Zumthor’s Thermal Baths, a spa located in a small village in the middle of Switzerland called Vals, with no real intention of making the trek. However, during our individual travels this past semester [March 2009], with only a vague understanding of the project that was literally built in and from the Swiss Alps, I was lucky enough to make the adventure to Vals, Switzerland to share an experience of a lifetime with my new fiancé [engaged 2 days prior in Cinque Terre].

We stayed three nights while two of my colleagues and one’s girlfriend joined us for an evening in Vals also. We stayed in one of the newly renovated Zumthor rooms where he carried his edge detail from the therme into the shower creating a reveal for water to drain into. This relates to the same edge detail we saw earlier in the semester at the Kunsthaus Bregenz; Zumthors art museum in Bregen, Austria.

At the Therme, Zumthor works primarily in volumes and voids, cutting the material, that being of the local quartzite, away to create a cave like experience; an experience where you were forced to wander and discover the space and the architecture. Contained within these volumes were separate baths of all different experiences. These included the fire bath [42®C], ice bath [14®C], Flower Bath [33®C], and the Sound Bath [35®C]. These volumes are highlighted by the ‘expansion joint’ which allows a slit of light into the spa. The general consensus was that the Sound Bath was the largest, but you must experience these spaces for yourself and make your own decision.

Zumthor creates an atmosphere you can only begin to understand by physically and emotionally experiencing the space. These spaces are always changing, whether it is by the ever changing floors due to the wet footprints charting the traffic through the space or the angry Swiss men staring at you as you enter one of the caves with only their eyes above the water as though they were alligators ready to strike; these spaces are timeless.

Following are a few sketches of a colleague of mine and my experiences in the space…

The thermes website: http://www.therme-vals.ch/?__locale=en

Blog Changes

2009-04-15T09:51:00.001-07:00

Hey all!!

Just wanted to make you aware of a change to our class blog that you might be interested in. To the right, you see a column with all of our names listed in alphabetical order. Previously, each of us were linked to the blog's website so that you could always return to our homepage at any time while visiting.

Being that we are all contributing to the blog this semester, we have decided to link our names to our personal posts so that you have the chance to see who shared personal experiences for the various trips we are taking throughout the semester.

Hope this helps you navigate through the blog site a little better.

Our 2nd 10 Day Trip: Venice, Padova, Vicenza, and Bologna, Part 2

2009-04-13T08:55:00.000-07:00

On April 8^th, we visited Villa Rotonda in the morning. We were very exciting because Villa Rotonda is one of the famous villa designed by Andre Palladio. Villa Rotonda has a very unique layout. It has four symmetrical façade with project portico. The interior of the villa is filled with beautiful fresco painting. The central hall of the villa is surrounded by a balcony and covered by a dome ceiling.

In the afternoon we visited the Teatro Olimpico with Dr. Wilma Barbieri. The theater was also designed by Andre Palladio. The stage inside of the theater use false perspective to make the background seem farther away.

Walking toward Villa Rotonda

Teatro Olimpico designed by Andre Palladio

Interior of Teatro Olimpico

On April 9^th we went to the city of Verona for a day. Some of us visited the Verona Arena that is famous for opera performance. Later in the afternoon we went to Museo Di Castel Vecchio designed by Carlo Scarpa.

Verona Arena

Currently building the supports for the stage

Castel Vecchio by Carlo Scarpa

Interior of Castel Vecchio

Concrete steps in Castel Vecchio

Use the wrong foot and see what will happen

On April 10^th we arrived to Bologna the last major city for our ten days trip. The hotel that we stayed was wonderful because it was located in the middle of the city next to Piazza Maggiore. We walked around the city on our own in the morning and meet up with Dr. Anna Brini in the afternoon for a guided cultural tour. We walked around the medieval market and tried out some of the famous chocolates in Bologna. At the end of our tour, we were surprised by the cold cut tasting meal.

One of the shop designs by Carlo Scarpa in Bologna

Cultural guided tour with Dr. Anna Brini

Yummy

On April 11^th we went to Parma for a one day trip. We visited the Piazza dalla Pace, Duomo, Battistero, Auditorium Paganni and the Cimitero di San Cataldo.

Niccolo Paganini Auditorium design by Renzo Piano

April 12^th, the last day of our ten days trip was Eastern Sunday, we went to Museum of Modern art in the morning and some of us went to church service afterward. At the end of the day we came back to Genoa to our wonderful Daniel Center.

Sketches from our trip:

Sketch of Villa Rotonda

Sketch of interior of Villa Rotonda

Student sleeping on the train to Bologna

Another student sleeping

Piazza Maggiore

Our 2nd 10 Day Trip: Venice, Padova, Vicenza, and Bologna, Part 1

2009-04-13T08:43:00.000-07:00

Let all be forewarned, I am not a blogger so if you choose not to continue to read my post, I will not be offended. That said, let me briefly put to words 5 days of travel in Venice, Padova, and a little Vicenza. Po Tin will tell you all about the second half of our trip in the next post.

We started the trip like pretty much any other trip we’ve gone on, at 6 in the morning. The train ride was long and rather uneventful, but arriving in Venice was amazing. We have all gotten used to and come to expect rain on these trips, so we were all stoked to find blue skies and the sun shining once we got out of the train station. After taking a water “bus” and dropping our things off at the hotel, we had lunch then started our tour with San Marco Piazza. We did a few sketched, went into the Basilica, then went over to the neighboring piazzetta to see Palazzo Ducale and Liberia Marciano, the “library” in the Indiana Jones movie (Giuditta broke the news to many in our group that the interior scenes were not actually in that library). We then ended the official educational part of the day at Ponte di Rialto.

Libreria Marciano

Bridge over a canal beside our hotel in Venice

The rest of our time in Venice was all pretty amazing. April 4^th we saw Chiesa della Salute, where we were told by a church employee not to sketch. Yes, apparently it is ok to take pictures, but it is rude to sketch… After that we went to Punto Della Dogana, Casa Alle Zatlere, The Palladian Churches on Giudecca, Giardini della Biennale, and Carlo Scarpa’s Negozio Olivetti and Fondazione Querini Stampalia. April 5^th we went to Murano, my personal favorite part of Venice, saw glass blowing and shopped for souvenirs. We headed back to the main island just in time to see the Calatrava Bridge on our way to tour reserved tour of the Peggy Guggenheim Collection. That night some of us wrapped up Venice with more souvenir shopping and dinner on the water.

Glass blowing

Lighthouse on Murano Island

Monday, April 6^th we left Venice for Padova by train, arriving around 10:30am. We walked to the hotel and split up for lunch and exploration until 5pm for a tour of Cappella degli Scrovegni. We were given a few places of interest to check out so some of us went to Prato della Valle for a picnic lunch then went to see the Teatro Anatomico which was pretty interesting. Some people went to see the Botanical Gardens and a special on Galileo. The next day we took a bus to see the Palladian Villas, the Museo Gipsoteca di Possagno (Scarpa), and the Scarpa Cemetery in San Vito di Altivole. We ended the day by heading to our hotel in Vicenza.

Villa Emo

Scarpa Cemetery

I’ve been somewhat long winded so I will try to wrap up my half of the post for the trip. Summary: Venice was amazing! We had sun pretty much the entire time which was “new” to us. Padova was nice because of the freedom to pick what we saw. And lastly, architecture by Palladio and Scarpa are the things to see if you go to North Eastern Italy.

Our 7th Day Trip: Lucca

2009-03-31T18:39:00.000-07:00

After about an hour long bus ride, our first stop of the day began at the beautiful, Villa Reale Di Marlia and the surrounding garden spaces. The quant Villa dates back as early as the 16^th century and is surrounded by lush green gardens, open green lawns, water features and statues. Being the only two landscape architecture students of the group, Drew Cheatham and I were especially excited about this visit.

Pictures of the Villa:

Pictures of the surrounding garden spaces:

This picture is of the “garden theatre,” which was my favorite part of the landscape. In this space, yew hedges were used to mock the curtains, seating, foot lights and stage of a theatre.

More pictures of the surrounding garden spaces:

We spent the entire morning here because there was so much to see!
Here are a few sketches:

Sketch by Graham Sinclair

Sketch by Heather Nelson

Afterwards, we hopped on the bus again and made are way to our second and final stop: the historical district of Lucca. Compared to the highly populated cities of Rome and Florence, Lucca was a very quiet town. It was a unique place, full of old churches, little piazzas, towers and family businesses.

We were able to explore the city a good bit and see the following places:

Duomo San Martino

Piazza e Chiesa di San Michele

Torre Guinigi

Piazza Anfiteatro

Independent Travel, Part 2

2009-03-25T06:19:00.000-07:00

Buses, Trains, and Planes...Oh My!

Since Kyle gave a great overview of everyone’s Independent Travel, I will be giving a personal account of my travels to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Brussels. I traveled with Graham and Brandon, and we met a friend of ours, Katie Beth, in London.

We started the trip with a flight to London on Friday, March 13, and then went to Bexleyheath, the little suburban neighborhood where our hotel was, about 45 minutes from downtown London. Saturday morning we caught a double-decker bus to the train station and made our journey into town. The first thing on our agenda was to buy tickets for a show at the West End that night. We got a great deal on some tickets to Roger and Hammerstein’s Carousel at the Savoy Theatre. Then we went to the British Museum, an incredible collection of cultural exhibits with a central glass roof structure designed by Norman Foster--a man we became quite familiar with during our stay in London. We went on to see London Bridge, Big Ben and Westminster Abby, then called it a night after seeing an impressive performance of Carousel.

Our second day started with Norman Foster’s London City Hall in Southwark, a nice development with modern architecture and a great park right on the Thames River. After doing some sketches and taking way too many pictures, we crossed the Tower Bridge and went in search of more architecture, including Foster’s Gherkin, which we had seen from afar throughout our time in London. Next, we went to The Monument, an obelisk that we weren’t quite sure the purpose of. (We know now that it’s a Monument to the Great Fire of London.) At sunset that day, we went to the London Eye and saw a beautiful view of London, both from the top of the Eye and from the river.

The next day after lunch in a beautiful park, we went to Buckingham Palace, Green Park, and then to Canary Wharf, the business and shopping development with underground malls, large modern art structures and several skyscrapers. After a little photography and shopping, we went to Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, and then crossed Millennium Bridge to St. Paul’s Cathedral.

That evening we caught an overnight bus to Paris. On our first day, we saw Centre Pompidou and then climbed the Eiffel Tower, an incredible structure that exceeded my expectations in both size and splendor. On our way from the Eiffel Tower to the Louvre, we passed Place de la Concorde, the Arch de Triumph, and Charles Garnier’s Paris Opéra. The Louvre was closed that day, but we went back the next morning and spent the entire day viewing the incredible range of art. The history of the place and the vastness of the exhibits were overwhelming. We were completely exhausted by the end of this day!

On our last day in Paris, we visited the Grand Arche de la Défense, a modern, orthogonal arch on axis with the Arch de Triumph. We took a glass elevator to the top, where we had a great view of the city. That afternoon we went to Notre Dame, one of the most beautiful churches we’ve seen all semester, and then headed to Amsterdam.

The first morning in Amsterdam we walked to Java Island in search of breakfast and some cool architecture. We found a wide range of sleek corporate buildings, colorful apartments, and unique footbridges. We then toured the Van Gogh Museum and the Heineken Brewery and Museum. The following day we rented bikes and rode around the beautiful city. Amsterdam has by far the best biking system of any city I’ve ever been to—clearly marked bike lanes integrated into vehicular and pedestrian traffic, and entire parking garages for bicycles.

Our next stop was Brussels, which was essentially just a stop on the way back to Genoa. We had one day here, during which we visited Atomium, a monument that Professor Sill taught us about during our studies of vertical structures. We moved between the nine steel spheres, each with different functions or exhibits. (We bought Belgian waffles in the middle sphere!)

That evening we went to Charleroi, and then in the morning flew to Milan, where we caught a train back home to Genoa. We had an incredible trip – full of history, culture and architecture, but it was great to get back to the villa!

Independent Travel, Part 1

2009-03-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Buses, Trains, and Planes...Oh My!

The students of the Charles E Daniel Center tackle Europe for their spring break. Just to name a few of the cities visited: Berlin, Cortina, Portifino, Bellno, Feltre, Cugnan, Santa Margherita, San Fruttuoso, Nevegal, Munich, Heidelburg, Reutlingen, Amsterdam, Paris, Windsor, Cinque Terre, Oxford, Landen, Wiltshire, Brussels, Malhide, Dublin, Glasgow, Inverness, Edinburgh, Milan, Zurich, Bern, Vals, Lucerne, Bellagio, Como, Barcelona, Granada, Sevilla, Bilbao, Madrid, Athens, Chios, Cesme, Izmir, Istanbul, Efes, and Jerusalem.

The spread of our travels throughout Europe (home is Genoa, Italy)

Sketchbooks fear for their lives, with the rapid drawings on site of architectural and landscape wonders. Each student had little room to pack for the week, but the sketchbook was the most essential tool for our travels. Regardless of culture shock, the sketches can speak the same language in any country. Some are detailed, capture lighting, architectural elements, and tell a story that cannot be captured by a photograph.

Sketching on the site under the Dolomites..."The hills are alive with the sound of music!"

Frank O. Ghery's Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain

Stones of Nice, France...beware of Nudists!

Stonehenge (enough said)

Sectional study of Massimo Fuksas's Milan Fair

Frei Otto's Olympic Stadium Munich, Germany

Now, it is time to focus on a few photographs. The following photographs allow our viewers to see how much of Europe is available to us, and the opportunities that the CAF gives its architecture students. But, most importantly these photographs are intended to make our viewers jealous of our big European adventure!

Athens, Greece...solid orange

Malahide Castle, Ireland...A.K.A Castelleto Pizzeria near our villa (we found the logo)

Glasgow, Scotland Armadillo building on the Clyde River...or Alabama?

Jerusalem, Israel...the holy city

Urquhart Castle, Scotland (Braveheart?)

Thermal Baths in Vals, Switzerland...one of the most amazing plays on lighting and water temperature

Vernazza, part of the Cinque Terre...not far from our villa (yes we live in the Italian Riviera)

After our first few weeks in Italy, many of us were slightly homesick. The conversations focused on what American food and cultures we missed the most. However, upon our return from spring break we referred to Genoa and the Villa as “home.” We have now adjusted to this wonderful lifestyle and the effortless means of travel to amazing cities and landscapes across Europe. I believe I speak for all of us when I say to our families and friends: “You will be making a trip to Italy soon, not to vacation…but to drag us home!"

Our 6th Day Trip: Como

2009-03-11T12:08:00.000-07:00

You probably know Como as a famous retreat for the wealthy who sip wine in the gardens of their private villas (wow this is starting to sound a little like us in Genova) and ride around the lake in their yachts. So after hanging out with good old Clooney, we spent the rest of the day experiencing the rest of what you don’t know about Como, the architecture of Giuseppe Terragni an important Italian Rationalist.

Our first stop was Villa Bianca, a house that Terragni designed for his cousin. The building itself was, well, white and had a neat rooftop terrace, but besides that what was most interesting was the sculpture surrounding it. Contrasting greatly with the linear modern architecture was the modern sculpture which was slightly creepy but automatically provided our pictures with scaled figures, so that’s good.

Moving onward and upward, we next visited the War Memorial by Terragni.

Although Terragni won the competition for this memorial, he was forced to change his design to replicate a sketch drawn by Antonio Sant’Elia--- the leader of futurism--- before he died in the war. So this monument is interesting because it is both futurist and rationalist, and thus greatly shows the very close correlation between these two movements. This monument has a very heavy and oppressive presence right on the edge of Lake Como, which actually suits its intended function perfectly- to serve as a constant reminder of all those who died during World War I.

Next we went to what is considered the first modern building in Italy (disregarding the Ca' Brutta which no one really cares about), the Novocomum apartment building. Although this building is modern in many ways (its daring cantilever, curved corner condition, extensive glazing, etc.) what I thought made it seem more modern was its jarring contrast with the highly decorated building right beside it. Seeing this contrast even today exaggerates the simplicity of the Novocomum, and how it was highly innovative for its time, and still is. We followed this building with a little bit of fascism, my favorite part….

The Casa Del Fascio is a building in the center of Como which was meant to be a house for fascism, exactly as the title implies. Thus the architecture is full of propaganda to reflect the "clarity and honesty" of the fascist party. The architecture is simple and utilizes a lot of glazing and natural lighting so that you can literally see right through the bottom level of the structure, and you "know" what is going on at all times. However, this is a skewed perception, because if you count the column grid, there are a lot of rooms hidden from this, not to mention the other levels and rooms where they housed all the people who disagreed with the fascist party.

Thus this building is an insane paradox, and actually works perfectly with its function, because the fascist party was the exact same thing--- a presented facade with an entirely different thing happening under the surface. The Casa Del Fascio thus perfectly reflects the contradictions of Fascism as well as serving as a model for how easily people could fall into Fascism's trap--- they were really rather good at propaganda. So maybe the architecture is not the best for architecture's sake, but it is one of the best correlations of form follows function that I have ever seen- even on levels that were not intended.

We also saw a Nursery School in the Sant'Elia Quarter in which Terragni designed everything on the scale of an elementary school kid. Everything was so cute and tiny including the handrails, bathrooms, tables and chairs. It was also interesting how he took a city setting and added as much green space and natural lighting as possible to give the kids a great rural experience while in school. Actually the whole place is devoted to creating the perfect environment for kids to live and learn in, which I believe Terragni successfully achieved. All in all, it was a cool place.

Our 5th Day Trip: Torino

2009-03-04T23:17:00.000-08:00

We left bright and early this morning for the train station with tickets to Torino, home of the 2006 Winter Olympics. For many of us, this was our second trip to the city. A group of us went earlier in the semester for a ski trip at nearby Bardonecchia. This time, however, the visit was architecture related and, with our trusty guide Judy, we spent the entire day seeing some of Turin's best.

We began the tour as soon as we stepped out of the Porta Nuova train station. We traveled up Via Roma (which was on axis with the train station) to Piazza San Carlo. This piazza was designed by Castellamonte in 1621. There were several iconic buildings overlooking the piazza including the twin churches: San Carlo and Santo Christina (pictured below).

As we made our way through the city, we saw many historic buildings and learned about their history and significance with Torino, including the castle and monument below:

The Palazzo Carignano (Guarini, 1679) boasted one of the more interesting facades we have seen. The entire building, including columns and decorations, was made of sculpted brick (as opposed to the typical marble or stone that had become used to). I took some time during our lunch break to draw the building because it was so unique:

The next building we learned about was the Palazzo Madama (Juvarra, 118-1721). The interior was especially interesting because the floor was removed to reveal the remnants of the Roman roads and infrastructure that had long since been covered by the layers of time (and therefore lost) throughout the rest of the city. The image below is a glimpse of what Torino used to look like:

The following sketch is a detail of one of the windows of the Palazzo Madama by a classmate (Amy Leong):

After leaving the Piazza Castello, where the Palazzo Madama was located, we continued on to a beautiful church by Guarini: San Lorenzo (1668-1687). As we approached the entrance, judging by the very unassuming exterior, our expectations for the interior were not very high. However, much to our suprise, the church was beautifully decorated on the inside. The quality of the light pouring in from the drum of the cupola brought the space to life:

Another Amy Leong sketch of the underside of the lantern:

In plan, the rotunda boasted eight beautifully decorated radiating chapels as depicted in the panoramic image below:

Our next stop was the iconic Mole Antonelliana e Museo del Cinema (Antonelli, 1863). Here we learned about the history of the building, the architect ran the original clients off -he refused to budge in his design intent- so the town government had to buy the project in order to allow the work to continue. Today, the dome and steeple atop this building has become a symbol of Torino. Inside, we were able to take the elevator -suspended from cables and hoisted in the center of the dome...not very comforting for those afraid of heights- to the top and had a great view of the city.

After leaving the Mole (pictured above), we moved on to a more modern building: the Fiat Lingotto (Matte Trucco, 1914-1926). This was an interesting factory-turned-office complex that holds a significant place in automotive manufacturing history. It was modeled after the Ford factories in America (complete with the newfangled concept of something called "the assembly line") with some improvements. The raw materials arrived on the lowest floor and the cars were assembled as they rose. Once they reached the top, the roof had a test track that the cars could be driven on before they descended the spiral ramp to the ground below. Although the building is no longer used for testing cars, the test track -with its banked turns- still exists, and we were lucky enough to get a private tour:

While we were on top, a promotional company was selling rides in exotic cars in the plaza below, and the route included driving up the ramp for a spin on top of the building. (Some of us, including me, almost took more pictures of the cars than we did of the building!)

Recent additions to the roof included an upscale conference room by Renzo Piano. The new additions added another iconic element to the building as seen in the center of the images below:

(photo by Derrick Simpson)

The conference room (1982-1991) bubble (see image above) came complete with a helicopter landing pad for the executives that wanted to fly in. On the inside, great efforts had to be taken to reduce the amount of harsh sunlight (the greenhouse effect from all the glazing) on the conference table (see below).

On our way down, we took the ramp (just like the cars did during the factory days) which sported a concrete structural support system resembling the spokes of a tire's rim.

(photo by Derrick Simpson)

It is said that this aesthetic inspired many architects and engineers of its day, including architect Le Corbusier and engineer P.L. Nervi.

After leaving this factory, we had to hurry back to the station to catch our train for Genoa. Our 5th day trip ended with a short bus ride from Genova Principe Station back to the villa, and a tired but enlightened group of architecture students trudging up the steps to hit the sack.

The Villa Party

2009-02-28T08:53:00.000-08:00

One of the most amazing things about studying abroad, specifically in the CAF Genova program, is that it is understood that all experiences—not just those in the classroom—inform our education. While architecture students are among the hardest working majors, it is important for us to get outside the studio enough to absorb Italian culture. The Villa Party, which took place February 27, is one such event specifically designed to celebrate this immersion. Guests of honor include Clemson faculty and alumni, Italian friends of the program, and friends of the students who are able to travel to Genova for one night of food, drinks, music, and dancing.

While most think of the Villa Party as the social event of the season, it is also about showcasing our work. We printed the best of our field sketches on vellum and hung them on the wall between the garden and studio. The result was a lovely translucent gallery of our travels. The images represent both the terrific talent of my classmates and a great example of how each of us sees the world differently.

With our gallery complete, all the students worked to transform the studio into an elegant ballroom (well, if you use your imagination a bit). Desks were cleared—which, mid-project was an enormous undertaking, given that architecture students are not exactly the neatest people—to make room for linen covered tables of food and flowers. A dance area, bar, and stage for the band was set up. Kyle put together a slide show of everyone’s pictures to play throughout the evening.

I think the ladies of CAF had just as much fun getting ready for the party as attending it. In a flurry of makeup, high heels, bobby pins, and hairspray, we emerged glammed out for the evening—and ready to dance. The boys cleaned up nicely as well, with most wearing jackets and ties. Derrick donned his new Versace suit, while Jonathan, in his Fedora, brought to mind the Old Hollywood days of Sinatra.

The evening did not disappoint. Over a hundred guests—including the US Ambassador(!)—graced us with their presence. Angela’s spread of food was mouth-watering, David Carrol’s band, Louche, rocked out the house, and Harrison’s Italian DJ debut performance kept the party going until the wee hours. It was an evening we will not soon forget.

Sketch gallery

(photo by Jonathan Edens)

AMAZING spread of food that Angela (pictured on left) made for the event

(photo by Jonathan Edens)

Villa ladies, all glammed up

(photo by Jonathan Edens)

Derrick and Jonathan with our wonderful Italian friends

(photo by Lindsey Edens)

Rocking out to the live band

(photo by Jonathan Edens)

Everyone enjoying Louche

(photo by Jonathan Edens)

Derrick with the three Villa angels, Andreina, Angela, and Silvia

(photo by Lindsey Edens)

DJ Harrison keeping the party going

(photo by Lura Blumenfeld)

Our 4th Day Trip: East Genoa

2009-02-26T17:03:00.000-08:00

For our fourth day trip, Giuditta took us to some important architectural sites throughout Genoa. We came to our first destination via one of Renzo Piano’s subway stations, composed of bright blue steel arches that supported a glazed façade. From here, it was a short walk to one of Genoa’s landmarks: the Viaduct Genova-Savona. This massive concrete bridge was designed in the early 1960s by noted Italian engineer Riccardo Morandi and serves a high volume of daily traffic into and out of Genoa. While the bridge is impressive from a distance, our up-close vantage revealed that the scale of the structure dominated the modest neighborhood below, completely disturbing the quality of the ground level streets below.

Coming back closer to the heart of Genoa, we next visited the hillside school Gioventu’ del Littorio. This building was constructed in 1937 to educated young Fascists-in-training. The current condition of the building was poor, and I’m not sure how much better it would have been 70 years ago. Within our group, it fueled the debate of whether or not it is right to admire buildings that were built to support and perpetuate Fascism. Regardless, there was hardly a proponent of this rather unfortunate building.

From here, we walked down the hill to the soccer stadium – a large mass of a building that looks more like a warehouse than a symbol of the city’s favorite sport. Conceived and executed in the late 1980s, the abstracted massing and painfully repetitive façade was not much to look at and seemed a lesson in why not to get caught up in the latest architectural trends. Our trip continued into the historic section of Genoa, past the Oriental Market from the late 19^th century, through the odd, triangular cloister and museum of Sant’Agostino, and ended at the Facolta’di Architectura – home to Genoa’s school of architecture.

Overall, this was perhaps the most low-key of all the day trips, and though our stops showed some important buildings in Genoa, their importance seems to lie more in their historical significance than in quality, enduring work.

Our 4 Day Road Trip: Switzerland, Austria, France, and Germany

2009-02-24T10:45:00.000-08:00

Professor Sill organized an optional trip for us to see parts of Switzerland, Germany, and France and all of the students chose to attend. We rented two vans and a car that were paid for by the program. The first project we visited was Hans Isler’s Garden Center in Camorino, Switerland. This is a concrete shell that is used to house a garden shop. We then proceeded to see several bridges until we reached our hotel on the border of Switzerland near Bregenz. In the morning we went to see the Kunsthaas by Zumthor. We only had about a half an hour there before we moved on so we did a quick walkthrough of the art exhibits. We then loaded into the vans again to make our way to Munich. The first place we went in Munich was the Olympic stadium from 1972. The roof was composed of a cable net and a clear membrane. After lunch we headed over to the BMW showroom and headquarters which is an incredible display of contemporary architecture by Coop Hemmelblau. Next we piled back into the vans to make our way to our hostel in Stuttgart. On the way we stopped by the Stuttgart Airport to observe the unique branch columns. We began the next morning at the Werkbund Village where we saw experimental houses by Le Corbusier, Mies Van der Rogh, Gropius, and Behrens. Afterwards we visited the Porsche Museum and the Mercedes Museum, neither of which we had time to tour, and then we returned to our hostel. We woke up early the next morning so that we could make our way to Ronchamp to see Corbusier’s Notre Dame du Haut and saw plans for Renzo Piano’s project in the area. Afterwards we head to Vitra to see buildings by some of the most famous architects of our time including Frank Gehry, Tadao Ando, Alvaro Siza, Buckmaster Fuller, and Zaha Hadid. This was an incredible experience. After this we returned to Genoa exhausted but also extremely glad we had a chance to see all of these incredible projects.

Vitra Fire Station - Zaha Hadid

Kunsthaus - Bregenz

Weissenhof Museum - Le Corbusier

Vitra Conference Room

BMW Showroom

Garden Center

Our 3rd Day Trip: Milan

2009-02-18T09:27:00.000-08:00

I think Mark Twain said it best in his book, Innocents Abroad, with his description of the Milan’s Cathedral.

“What a wonder it is! So grand, so solemn, so vast! And yet so delicate, so airy, so graceful! A very world of solid weight, and yet it seems ...a delusion of frostwork that might vanish with a breath!... The central one of its five great doors is bordered with a bas-relief of birds and fruits and beasts and insects, which have been so ingeniously carved out of the marble that they seem like living creatures-- and the figures are so numerous and the design so complex, that one might study it a week without exhausting its interest...everywhere that a niche or a perch can be found about the enormous building, from summit to base, there is a marble statue, and every statue is a study in itself...Away above, on the lofty roof, rank on rank of carved and fretted spires spring high in the air, and through their rich tracery one sees the sky beyond. ... (Up on) the roof...springing from its broad marble flagstones, were the long files of spires, looking very tall close at hand, but diminishing in the distance...We could see, now, that the statue on the top of each was the size of a large man, though they all looked like dolls from the street... They say that the Cathedral of Milan is second only to St. Peter's at Rome. I cannot understand how it can be second to anything made by human hands.”

Corner detail of Milan Cathedral

Milan’s Cathedral dominated our day trip to Milan and with good reason. This structure could be study for years on end and never fully covered. The cathedral of Milan is often described as one of the greatest churches in the world as it dominates the Piazza del Duomo. Construction began in 1396 on this late Gothic style church and was not completely finished until 1887. The roof is open to tourists (for a fee), which allows many a close-up view of some spectacular sculpture that would otherwise be unappreciated. Also views of the city are amazing from the top of the Duomo with the Alps as a backdrop.

At the top of the Cathedral

Milan and the Alps

Tower of Saint Ambrogio

View through a door to outside patio

Other photos of interest:

Spires of the Duomo

Inside the view of the Cathedral

Statues from the cathedral

Our 1st 10 Day Trip: Florence, Siena, and Rome, Part 2

2009-02-09T09:18:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Rome on Wednesday night (Feb. 4). We took a bus from Roma Termini rail station which dropped us off near our hotel. We were very fortunate with the location and quality of our hotel. We stayed in the Albergo Santa Chiara Hotel which was a stones throw from the Pantheon. It was surreal being able to walk out our door and around the block to see a structure that has stood for nearly 2000 years.

The next morning we had a few hours of free time after breakfast so a group of us set out for the Coliseum. We made our way through the Roman Forum exploring the grounds and taking lots of pictures. It worked out well because the ticket we bought for the Forum got us into the Coliseum as well. We were able to skip the hour wait and breeze right inside.

After a quick lunch, we met up with the rest of the group in Piazzo Del Campidoglio to start a Baroque tour with a guest prof. living in Rome. His name is Terry Kirk. He was a great tour guide for our walking tour because he was full of energy and extremely enthusiastic about the sites we were visiting. This helped the walking tour feel more like a conversation rather then a lecture. It made for a pretty interesting day. We were able to cover a large amount of the city. We visited various works by Borromini, Bernini, and many others. We ended the day with the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps.

On Thursday morning, we got up and made our way toward the Vatican City. We spent the morning in the Vatican Museum viewing works by famous painters and gazing at the Sistine Chapel. In the afternoon, we moved on to Saint Peters Basilica where the pope resides. We made the ascent through the cupola and we were able to see Rome from above.

Section view through the Cupola.

After taking our aerial photos, we made our way back down and then entered the church through the nave. We were fortunate to be able to take photos and videos inside the church.

On Friday, we visited Renzo Piano's Auditorium Parco Della Musica.

We were also able to visit Pier Luigi Nervi's Palazetto Dello Sport.

On Saturday, we got up early and caught a train to Tivoli. Then took a bus to Villa Adriana. It is a large archaeological site of Hadrian's country Villa. It was interesting to see such a large site of ruins and begin to imagine how they might have appeared in there time. The buildings were in various stages of decay so some required more imagination then others.

After we left the park, we headed over to another site in Tivoli named Villa d'Este. It is a villa set on a hillside. There is vast landscape park full of water features, gardens, seating areas, and a great panoramic view of the city. We only had a short time in the park so we were running around frantically trying to snap pictures. After we finished up, we had to hurry to catch our train back to Rome.

On Sunday, we visited the E.U.R. section of Rome which is where Mussolini tried to express his imperial dreams for a city. This section of the city is not one you would normally see on a tourist visit to Rome, however, with our fortunate length of stay, we were able to make the trip. The buildings all maintained Fascist design principals of minimalism and uniformity in materiality. We toured the area for a few hours and were unfortunately turned away at 3 of our sites due to unforeseen events occurring on site that prohibited us from entering.

On Sunday night, we made our way back to the hotel and collected our bags before returning to the train station. We made it back to Genoa around 10 pm then we hopped on a bus and headed for the villa. Another incredible trip in the books!

Our 1st 10 Day Trip: Florence, Siena, and Rome, Part 1

2009-02-09T07:33:00.000-08:00

After spending the first three weeks in Genoa (with the exception of a few short trips) we were ready to get out and see more of Italy on our first 10 day trip. We left bright and early for Florence, as we do for most of our trips. After checking in at our hotel we were off to the Uffizi Gallery. The Uffizi has a remarkable collection and contains many works that we had previously studied in art history classes.

The Uffizi

The next day we were led all over Florence by our tour guide for the day, Jane Zaloga. In the morning we focused on the Medici and Michelangelo. Our morning stops included: il Convento di San Marco, il Palazzo Medici Ricciardi, la Basilica di San Lorenzo, il Biblioteca Laurenziana, la Cappella dei Principi, il Tombe Medicee.

The Convent of San Marco was renovated and enlarged in 1437. The convent now serves as the Museo Nazionale di San Marco. The museum houses many Fra Angelico frescoes, the most famous of which is the Annunciation. The convent expansion was designed by Michelozzo, including the cloister, the monks’ quarters and the library.

Convento di San Marco

The Basilica of San Lorenzo is one of the largest and oldest churches in Florence. The exterior façade for the church was designed by Michelangelo but never built. There was talk about building the façade that Michelangelo designed hundreds of years later, but by then the church was known as a church without a façade. The interior of the church was incredible, a complete contrast to the exterior.

Bascilica di San Lorenzo - Exterior

Bascilica di San Lorenzo - Interior

In the afternoon we visited il Battistero di San Giovanni, la Piazza della Signoria, il Palazzo Vecchio, la Galleria degli Uffizi, la Chiesa di Santa Croce and la Cappella Pazzi.

The mosaic ceiling in the Florence Baptistry (Battistero di San Giovanni) was incredible. The ceiling depicts the Last Judgement with Christ in the middle, the saved at Christ’s right hand and the damned on his left. The rest of the ceiling tells different stories from Genesis as well as stories about Joseph, Mary, Christ and St. John the Baptist.

Battistero di San Giovanni

On Sunday, we were back with Giuditta. Our first stop was the Accademia. The Accademia has housed Michelangelo’s David since 1873. It was quite incredible to see what is regarded by many as the most famous sculpture in the world.

Michelangelo's David

The rest of our day consisted of visits to the Ponte Vecchio, Palazzo Pitti, Chiesa di Santo Spirito, Ponte Santa Trinita, Palazzo Rucellai, Chiesa di Santa Maria Novella, Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Maria Novella and the Stadio Comunale Berta.

The gardens at Palazzo Pitti were beautiful. I can only imagine what they must look like on a sunny day.

Palazzo Pitti

Sketch from Palazzo Pitti

There was a competition in 1418 for the design of the dome of the Santa Maria Novella. Brunelleschi won the competition and the dome was completed in 1436. The façade of the Santa Maria Novella was designed by Leon Battista Alberti. The dimensions of the façade are all bound to each other by the 1:2 ratio of the musical Octave.

Chiesa di Santa Maria Novella

Stazione Ferroviaria Santa Maria Novella

On Monday morning we woke up and climbed Brunelleschi’s dome at the Florence Cathedral (Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore). There were 463 steps to the top, climbing inside of the double walled dome, and no elevator. From the top of the cupola, you could see the entire city. It was interesting to look out and find all the buildings we had seen in the past two days. It was well worth the climb.

View from the top of Brunelleschi's Dome

More Photos and Sketches

Day with Jane Zaloga:

il Palazzo Medici Ricciardi

Tombe Medicee

Chiesa di Santa Croce

Day with Giuditta:

Ponte Vecchio
Ponte Vecchio Sketch

Stadio Comunale Berta

Our 2nd Day Trip: Pavia & Vigevano

2009-01-29T08:07:00.000-08:00

On Tuesdays we have a daytrip class, where we visit nearby cities and towns led by Professor Giuditta Poletti. Giuditta has an endless amount of energy, an endless supply of architectural knowledge, and an endless supply of cigarettes in her purse. On every trip she keeps us on an aggressive schedule packed with live action architectural history.

Professor Giuditta Poletti.

Pavia and Vigevano

For this trip, we traveled in class by chartered bus, which took us first to the Certosa di Pavia:

Construction of the Certosa began in 1396 by Duke Gian Galeazzo Visconti as a family mausoleum. During the course of its over 100 year construction, multiple influential families funded the project, and in return received rights to deposit deceased family members within the church. Most of them are still there.

The Certosa is primarily a monastery that has housed multiple orders through the years , and is now home to a community of Cistercian monks (also known as Trappist monks in the U.S). Unlike many of the other churches we have visited here in Italy, the Certosa is very much still in use, rather than a tourist destination. The feeling is almost immediate upon entering. The walls are not uplit to highlight decoration as in other Italian churches, rather, the space is dark, silent, and cold. On the day we visited, there was still snow on the ground—the cold outside was the same as the cold inside, so that the church was very much an extension of that which is natural. The dim and the quiet clears the senses and the mind, clearing way for something larger perhaps.

Base of vault/column capital in church.

We were given a tour of the grounds by one of the resident monks. He did not give us his name that I can recall, and now I regret not asking. His English was astoundingly good (later he revealed a connection to a monastery in New Jersey), and he imparted a wealth of information for every detail of the church and monastery. Most striking to me though was the lightness of his personality. On the one hand, there was a certain gravity in the carefulness of his step, the pace of his speech, and the softness of his voice. In the cold, he wore perhaps half the amount of clothing that we the visitors wore. Yet despite the seeming severity of his person, he had a remarkable sense of humor, and lightness of being. It was as if he saw the world as both serious and hilarious at the same time, in a way that made him seem more comfortable with the world than most people.

Resident monk and tour guide.

The monastery itself mirrored the quiet and lightness of the monk. The cloister especially, was characterized by an overwhelming silent peace, accentuated even more so by the cold and the remaining snow.

View to smaller cloister.

A wall.

Other Images

Bridge in Pavia.

Basilica of San Michele, Pavia with double facade.

The facade of the Cathedral of St. Ambrose in Vigevano was meant to complete the edge of Piazza Ducale. See the much small church building behind the facade.

In Other News

Also, one of our number caught a nasty stomach flu the day of the trip, which involved multiple emergency stops by the bus during our ride. The virus continued to plague us, with one of us catching it anew every two days for the next week or so, and following us all the way to Florence. Stuff happens.

Sights of Genoa

2009-01-23T12:03:00.000-08:00

In a previous post, we had mentioned our hopes as a class to venture out and discover the city of Genoa. In the almost short 3 weeks that we have been here, we have actually been able to do so. Genoa is a beautiful city rich in history and full of life. Here are a few pictures that students have been able to capture while sightseeing. Enjoy!

Piazza de Ferrari

One of the many sets of stairs that make up Genoa.

Our 1st Day Trip: Genoa Port and Lighthouse

2009-01-22T18:27:00.000-08:00

Over the course of living in Genoa, Italy, we will take day trips every Tuesday (with the exception of 3 or 4 due to week long travels), every week, for the entire semester. Most will be spent in parts of Italy, while a couple might be outside of Italy in other countries. For each day trip, we will have a "tour guide," Giuditta, who is from Genoa and knows much about Italian history and architecture. For our 1st day trip, we toured the Port of Genoa. The day was actually very dreary and it rained all day long. So we spent our first hour or so (in the rain) walking through the harbour obtaining as much historical information as Giuditta could put out in a short amount of time. We saw some beautiful, historical architecture that she knew just enough about to make you feel like you had had a crash course on the history of Genoa and its port. We then moved on to a boat tour that included a view of the entire harbour area from the sea. We had the boat all to ourselves, and it was the perfect way to begin the our 1st day trip of the semester.

View from the boat looking back at the harbour.

After our boat tour, we headed over to see two architectural complexes between the harbour and the historical part of the city. The first was Palazzata Della Ripa and the second was Palazzo San Giorgio. Both held significant importance to the city's harbour and were ideal for the architecture students first sketches.

We then headed to Galata Museo Del Mare for a tour of the museum of the sea. This partiuclar museum was built on the original site of the 17th century arsenal main dock. In the main hall, when you first come in, you can see the entire map of the waterfront of Genoa.

An aerial view of the entire waterfront of Genoa.

After finishing up at themuseum we had a quick lunch around the harbor. We thenmoved on and took a tour of La Commenda Di Pre' which is one of the most historical centers in all of the Mediterranenan, founded during the 12th century.

This building was used as a hospice to knight monks and pilgrims that were traveling through the area to reach the Holy Land. There are two parts to La Commenda Di Pre', an upper and a lower.

From La Commenda, we went to the Palazzo del Prince, which was the mansion and the headquarters of the Prince of Genoa. We toured the entire mansion; bedrooms, gardens, and banquet hall. It was very old and very beautiful.

The interior of the upper church of La Commenda.

One of the rooms inside Palazzo del Prince.

Lastly, we ended the day with a trip to the tip of Genoa to se La Lanterna. It was quite the trek, but well worth it once we arrived and the perfect way to end our 1st day trip. It was the perfect backdrop for such an important structure to the Genovese history. The Lighthouse was first constructed in the 12th century, then a new one in the 16th century, and finally restored as a museum from 1995-2004. La Lanterna is the symbol of Genoa; it rises some 85 meters (279 feet) from the base and 117 meters (384 feet) above the sea. It remains a functioning lighthouse and navigational aid for sailors even today holding a light beam that can be seen for up to 33 miles away.

La Lanterna.

Italian Classes

2009-01-19T14:15:00.000-08:00

Since arriving, we have not only began, but finished a crash course in the language of Italian, and managed to do so in a mere ten days.

Professor Barbara Zaczek came from Clemson to stay with us in the Villa and meet with us

during these ten days for 3 hours a day. She was absolutely wonderful; because of her we were

able to quickly learn enough of the basics to get us by during our semester abroad.

Professor Barbara also made it possible for us to have two delicious meals while here so that we could practice using the Italian we had learned. Our first meal was at a restaurant down by the port one of the first nights Barbara was here. We were treated to a full 4th course meal at i Tre Merli at a special price. We really enjoyed the food, but had a great time trying out our Italian!

Our group at i Tre Merli

The other restaurant we visited was the day of our last class and the night before Barbara was to head back to Clemson. It too was very delicious, and being that we went at the end of our ten day crash course, hopefully our Italian was a little better than at the first restaurant we visited!

A group of us at dinner with Barbara on her last night in Genoa.

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We really enjoyed having Barbara in the Villa teaching us our new native language. She really is an excellent professor who knows much about the Italian language, and is an asset to the Clemson University faculty and staff. We were very sad to see her go! Thank you SO much Barbara!

Sweet Barbara and her friends that let us practice our Italian on them.

Our Goals for the Semester

2009-01-12T09:37:00.000-08:00

Now that we are here and trying to get the studio portion of the semester started, we just wanted to make our readers aware of some goals we have for sharing the semester with you.

We will be doing a lot of sketching this semester. Our goal is to assign one student to each week in the semester in hopes that they will choose a couple of their own sketches and not only share those with you, but also share insight on to how those sketches came to be.

We will also be doing a great deal of traveling. Our goal in traveling is to share as many first hand experiences and pictures with you so that you too feel as though you have been all over Italy with us.

We hope to meet these goals effectively each week. In doing so, we know that you will have a better understanding of our Clemson experience in the Genoa program!

Let the semester begin!!

2009-01-09T22:45:00.000-08:00

We have arrived!!

Everyone that has the distinct pleasure of being a part of the Genoa program for the Spring Semester of 2009 is safe and sound here in the Villa. We've all had a long journey over the course of two or so days in getting here, so we're all pretty jet lagged. We hope to adjust to the time difference quickly and after a few days of rest, have the opportunity to explore the city of Genoa before classes begin.

Until next time, arreverdici!

Our home for the next 4 months.