Author: Emmalyn Burns | Major: Interior Architecture and Design | Semester: Summer 2024
Exploring the Eternal City : The Trevi Fountain
This summer I had the opportunity to further my academic endeavors by traveling abroad to Rome, Italy, to study for 5 weeks. The U of A Rome Center: Fay Jones School Interior Architecture Program allows students like me to experience the world while applying core design concepts I have learned in design school thus far. Before studying abroad, I knew Rome was known for its ancient architecture, being a city filled with history. What I didn’t know was I would be immersed into a community passionate about preserving history, while creating modern experiences. The past and present blend together in Rome, which creates the perfect environment for my field of study. The program’s courses sparked my interest as they involved in-person touring experiences, allowing me to see the interiors, materials, lighting, and human interaction of each location. All of these aspects need to be observed in person to understand how an interior, or piece of architecture, functions and impacts a community.
During my time in Rome, I earned 6 credit hours. The two courses were “Modern and Contemporary Rome” and “Design Tours”. Modern and Contemporary Rome focused on Rome starting from the 1800’s to the present time. On the first day of this course, I came prepared to sit in a classroom and take notes, but I quickly realized this class would be interactive, engaging, and lively. Some days we met our professor in a classroom elaborately decorated with gold detailing, and other days we explored the metro system to the other side of Rome and walked the city. The most unique and unexpected site we saw while touring was the “Street Art Museum”, also known as the Tor Marancia neighborhood. This is a stark contrast to the ancient ruins and classical architecture typically associated with Rome. This area is known for its murals painted onto residential buildings. The murals aimed to bring art and community to this social housing area. Each piece of art reflects the diverse community.
One of the most striking realizations I had was how social housing is perceived differently in Italy compared to the United States. In Italy, social housing, like that in Tor Marancia, is not stigmatized. Although we also passed popular sites like the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, we mainly focused on the surrounding areas and how ancient Rome has been integrated into the modern culture and landscape.
My other class, Design Tours, had the purpose of exploring the beauty of Italian details. We observed how modern design principles have been applied to historical and even ancient buildings. One memorable experience was visiting the Ara Pacis, an ancient altar in Rome, that symbolizes peace. At this site, my professors taught me about the significance of the material, Travertine. This stone was used for the ancient alter and is seen throughout the entire city. The modern uses of Travertine bridge the past and present together and honor traditional Roman design techniques. During each class we brought a sketchbook and completed several sketches of important design elements. Not only did these sketches heavily improve my drawing skills, but I will cherish my drawings forever and look back to remember the little details I captured by hand.
Some of my favorite memories in Italy happened with my 4 other roommates, who were amazing throughout this experience. Also being from the U of A, it was comforting to have familiar faces when experiencing new things. I will never forget the first time we figured out the Italian bus, metro and train systems! Together we had the opportunity to travel by train to Milan, Castel Gandolfo, Orvieto, Tivoli, Florence, and Positano. Out of all of the places we saw, Positano was by far my favorite. We spent a day on the beach, tried Italian seabass, and explored the coastal town. The home we stayed at was around 800 steps upwards… which was a task we accomplished together! It was interesting to see how the locals have slowly adapted their homes to form to the steep landscape. The cultural and academic experiences in Italy have undoubtably impacted my future as a designer. This experience taught me the importance of respecting historical contexts while embracing contemporary culture, a principle I aspire to incorporate into my future projects.