Italy: Landscape Architecture, Architecture & Music

Dates for summer 2010: TBD

 

LARC489A / HONR338A

We investigate Italy through architecture, public piazzas, and music in this three- week, three- credit landscape architecture course (LARC489A or HONR338A). Students will communicate, through one of several methods, their observations, reactions and knowledge of the sites visited throughout Italy. Each student will communicate through either sketching, photography or writing and be responsible for researching and presenting one specific subject. In addition, students will be instructed in a one- hour daily lesson in conversational Italian.

POMPEII
Pompeii was buried in pumice and volcanic ash when Mt. Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. We will tour the ruins of this Roman town and use it as a base of operations to explore the Amalfi coast. Amalfi was one of four major sea ports in ancient Italy. While in Amalfi, we will have time to visit the hill towns of Positano and Ravello. We will also take a day trip to the island of Capri and visit the seaport of Sorrento. A non-instructional day will be scheduled in each of the major regions.

FLORENCE
Florence is a wonderful example of Renaissance Italy. The old town center is largely unchanged from that period until today. Florence also houses major works of art of the Western world at the Uffizi (Botticelli, Leonardo, Raphael), and the Accademia (Michelangelo's David), and the Santa Marie del Fiori, the Duomo (Brunelleschi's dome, Giotto's campanile, and Ghilberti's Baptistery doors). We will also take a day trip to San Gimiagno, a medieval town on the plains of Tuscany.

ITALIAN RIVIERA
Next we will visit the Italian Riviera and explore the valleys including flora, lemon groves, and vineyards. The coastal towns and ports are famous for their relationship to the land and sea. The walking tour of the five villages of Cinque Terra will conclude our time on the Riviera.

ROME
Rome, the eternal city, was the center of the Roman Empire which ruled the Western world for almost 500 years. Rome includes layer after layer of Classical, Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Modern worlds. We will visit the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Saint Peter's Basilica, the Sistine Chapel, the Spanish Steps, the Pantheon, the Trevi Fountain, and the gardens of the Villa Borghese.

Students will stay in shared housing in hotels. Breakfast included in the program cost. All travel within Italy will be covered by the program and will include public trains, boats, and buses.