Villa Borghese
Author: Seth Cutlip | Major: Architecture | Semester: Spring 2024
I chose the Rome program because it is a well-established program that has had time to become a polished experience. I was also drawn to it because of the rich history it offers and its proximity to other Italian cities, which I can easily visit by train. I believe this program advances my academic goals by exposing me to another culture and way of thinking. Being here, in an area with a completely different urban fabric, helps highlight the pros and cons of where I live and how the urbanistic knowledge, I’ve gained can influence my future architectural decisions. My classes have been good, though sometimes overwhelming. It’s strange because I’m in a completely different environment, and I guess I just expected everything to magically work as it always does, but that’s not the case. There’s so much to account for, and time flies differently here. Commuting almost 2 hours a day, sometimes more, and then eating is an event in itself; suddenly, it’s 10 p.m., and I still have a lot to do by the next day. So, let’s just say I have yet to establish a solid routine.
The classes differ from those at the University of Akansas in that the curriculum isn’t as demanding but feels a lot more hands-on. My “Architecture of the City” class involves walking all over Rome to diagram and analyze different monuments. I appreciate this aspect; it’s more invigorating than sitting at a desk in a studio, slouched over, looking at a flat, dimensionless image of a building you think you might have heard about in architecture history. This gives some incentive to research the things you’re looking at because you are now a part of that context in a way. It’s things you walk by every day.
Besides academics, I’ve had a good time just walking around and exploring the city. There is honestly too much to explore, and it’s a bit overwhelming. Some days I’m clocking in 18 miles of walking, with my step count average going from 3,000 a day to 25,000. I went on a trip to Bologna last weekend, and it was honestly a lot nicer than I expected. I didn’t think I would love it as much as I did. We started by taking a train in the morning and went to the San Petronio church, which so far is my favorite church that I’ve been in. It was peculiar in that the surface of the church was heavily austere. There was no surface ornamentation, and I felt like that did it more justice due to the sheer volume of the church. It made the quality of light within the volume the most important aspect rather than pretty frescoes. It was also interesting to see how the structure was painted a different color to contrast with the surface it was holding up. It was by far the most beautiful church I’ve been in.
Some advice I would give to people coming here is to honestly just have days where nothing is planned, or maybe loosely planned. Have a general area in mind you want to walk around but don’t schedule out your day, or you will miss important little discoveries, which Rome has a lot of.