Exploring Scarpa’s architecture in Venice

Author: John Harris | Major: Architecture

I spent the fall semester of 2021 in Rome where I studied architecture. An experience abroad is a requirement of the architecture curriculum, and I fully understand why now that I have gone through that experience. While in Rome, I took three courses that all acted to enhance my understanding and experience of Rome. Modern and Contemporary Rome is a professional elective that reframed the suburban expansion of Rome since Italy’s unification in 1870. This involved weekly tours far outside of the city center, making my understanding of Rome more holistic. To Rome with Love is a course that reframed Rome through the lens of food, art, language, and culture. Weeks were split between basic language courses and lectures on topics from art to wine that ultimately gave me a deeper appreciation of Italy as a whole. Finally, the architectural studio this semester demanded an analysis of a neighborhood in Rome and a detailed proposal to enhance the civic life in this fringe condition of the city.

One aspect of work in Rome that took me by surprise was the hours of access. The Rome Center closes at seven each night and classes are held Monday through Thursday. This gave ample time to explore the city and go on excursions across Italy. Another benefit of the school having set hours was the clear distinction between work and down time. I had an incredible commute that took me past St. Peter’s Basilica: one of the most famous religious sites in the world. I had become accustomed to a work – life separation of 6 feet or so, and I found the renewed distance to be refreshing. Italian, and especially Roman, culture has a notably different pace of work and life. That was the main difference that I found between going to school in the US in comparison to Rome Center.

I did my absolute best to take advantage of the three-day weekends. One of the first trips I took was an optional trip organized by the school up to the Dolomites. This was an incredible trip, and a welcome change of pace from urban tours. Over fall break, I traveled to Verona and Venice to see the Architecture Biennale and the work of Carlo Scarpa: one of my favorite architects. Scarpa is an architect whose best work is in the details. Seeing these details in person made a true appreciation possible. Another weekend, I traveled to Florence with some friends, seeing the architecture of Brunelleschi and sculptures of Michelangelo. The next day, we took a train up to Modena to see a famous cemetery by Aldo Rossi. On the way back to the train station, we quite literally stumbled into a regional chocolate festival. Encountering a local festival like that was both incredibly lucky and a memory that I will cherish for years.

There is still quite a lot to do around Rome. Delicious food is available down every street and on every piazza. I became particularly fond of Suppli; a clump of rice and tomato sauce that is fried and breaded. My professors would feel as if they had taught me nothing if I didn’t mention traditional Roman dishes like Carbonara and Cacio e pepe. I picked up a used bike and rode down by the Tiber river whenever I had a Saturday morning to myself. I would frequently come across market stalls on these rides, with the largest occurring at Porta Portese on a weekly basis. These rides and encounters with truly local culture are ways that I felt more at home while I was abroad. Another way was through the extracurricular activities hosted by the school, such as bowling, dodgeball, soccer, and game nights.

There are a few things that I wish I had known before coming here. Learning the basics of language goes a very long way. Italian numbers can get you through a grocery checkout without stumbling and having to peer over the register to see just how much you underpaid the clearly annoyed checker. Italian people totally wear jeans, although they do generally put more effort into how they dress than people do here in the United States. I wore sweatpants once and felt some serious unwanted attention. Something I missed and didn’t expect was polite banter with complete strangers. I was fortunate enough to go to Rome with forty of my closest friends, but it was isolating nonetheless anytime I stepped onto a metro and realized I could do very little to communicate. I certainly feel more comfortable speaking to strangers now, especially when I’m confident they’ll be able to understand and respond. Upon landing in Heathrow, I felt relief that chatting was an option again. That was a surprising and completely unanticipated benefit of this experience.

The University of Arkansas Rome Center is a place I would recommend to students of all majors. Even in a stressful and uncertain time, the faculty and staff made the experience highly enjoyable. Rome itself is part of the European Union, so travel to other EU countries is more like crossing state lines than national boundaries. The amount of ancient history layered in with the modern world makes Rome a truly unique city to live and study in.