Author: Rachel Cruzan Major: Architecture
Me hugging the Colosseum
Ciao! My name is Rachel Cruzan. I am a fifth-year Bachelor of Architecture student minoring in Urban Planning and History of Architecture and Design at the Fay Jones School. I spent the summer of 2021 in Italy doing the Architecture and Design Program at the University of Arkansas. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience where I learned so much and made many great memories.
One of the best things about the Fay Jones school is that a study abroad experience is required to broaden our cultural understanding and expose us to design thinking in other places. Before the pandemic, I had planned to study abroad in Rome in the spring of 2021. However, since these plans, like all others, were altered, it seemed like I may not get to study abroad at all. But the wonderful faculty at the U of A Rome center, along with the faculty here at home and the University administration, worked together to make a way for us to safely study abroad at the Rome center in the summer of 2021. This was a great opportunity for me to get my study abroad experience and also finish my degree a semester earlier since the summer session took the place of a regular semester.
Not only were we taking classes in another country, but we were also finally back in person after two and a half semesters of online learning. It was so refreshing. I took Architecture of the City, Rome Studio, and Italian Language and Culture. One of the best parts about taking classes at the Rome Center was that cultural experiences were built into the program. We took an excursion to a cultural site at least once a week for most of the semester. We saw amazing places like the ancient city of Ostia Antica and my personal favorite Villa D’Este with its thousands of fountains. For our studio project, we worked directly with ADR, Rome’s airport authority, on redesigning piers and terminals to be more functional, comfortable, and eco-friendly. My favorite course was Italian Language and Culture. We learned helpful Italian phrases and had amazing cultural experiences like an Italian cooking class where we made our own pasta.
Living in Rome was an amazing experience. I lived on the same street as St. Peter’s Basilica and walked through the Piazza San Pietro and across the Ponte Sant’Angelo every day to get to school at the Rome Center in Palazzo Taverna. Our balcony overlooked the dome of St. Peter’s and I would sit out there every morning and eat breakfast. The Italians take their food very seriously and it is so delicious. I never got sick of eating pasta and gelato. I even learned to make carbonara in our apartment. There was a little pasta shop on the same street as the Rome Center that had the best pasta I had in Italy for only 5 Euros (with the student discount that they kindly gave us) and I loved eating there.
I would definitely recommend this program to other students. It was a great opportunity for me to be able to graduate a semester early with the Bachelor of Architecture program being five years long already. It is also a beautiful country and culture with such deep history. You could live a lifetime in Rome and not discover all of the beauty and knowledge there. The faculty and staff went above and beyond to help us learn and enjoy our time in Italy. I wish I had known a little more Italian coming in, so if you want to go I would definitely recommend brushing up now! Lots of people speak some English but their faces really light up to see foreigners speak their language well. The first thing I did when I got home gave my fiancé a big hug! Rome became home to me for a few wonderful months but there’s no place like Fayetteville either!