Author: Alexis Ogilvie | Major: Landscape Architecture | Semester:  Summer 2025

Caption for Photo 2:
While diving, I interacted with an echinaster sepositus starfish, a species that lives in the Mediterranean.

I studied abroad primarily in Rome, Italy, with trips around the country to Ostia Antica, Caserta, Pisciotta, Castelluzza, Bagnaia, Castel Gandolfo, Palermo, Aci Trezza, Amalfi, Pompei, Naples, Venice, Olang, Bolzano, Trento, and Verona. The trip to Rome is required for all architecture students- for landscape architecture, the summer of second year- and is an integral part of our architectural studies, with insight into cultural and environmental differences across the world. I was there for a total of 70 days (from May 12th to July 20th) during the summer of 2025. A particularly interesting part of our education while abroad was studying urban spaces and forms, which, in a different culture, offers valuable insights for students of landscape architecture by broadening our understanding of how social, historical, and environmental factors shape the built environment. Exposure to diverse cultural approaches to space within Rome- such as varying street layouts, public gathering areas, and integration with natural elements- enhances our ability to create inclusive, context-sensitive landscapes. It encourages critical thinking about our own cultural assumptions and fosters adaptive design strategies that respect local traditions, climate conditions, and community needs. This cross-cultural perspective ultimately leads to more innovative, sustainable, and empathetic landscape architecture. The entire first week of our trip was dedicated solely to exploring and understanding this urban, built environment by the careful analysis and breakdown of streets and circulation patterns, piazzas and open spaces, and how the landscape environment is formed and shaped by different elements and ideas of space. However, the most meaningful experience for me was learning to apply this knowledge in the trips I took to the coast, where I got to experience first hand how urban, built environments, including their people, interact with the ocean. When I took a 4-day weekend trip to Sicily, I was so excited to snorkel in real coral ecosystems and see beautiful oceanic life, but I had no idea I would also get the chance to get way more up close and personal with the wildlife than I had ever imagined. The Island of the Cyclops (Isola di Ciplopi) and surrounding volcanic environment is just off the coast of Aci Trezza, a coastal town located just North of Catania, and is home to a gorgeous variety of underwater flora and fauna, not to mention a unique culture and urban environment. The community was unique andvibrant, with incredible culture and nightlife. Using what I learned in urban form, I was able to discern the town’s center- where the heart of the energy and life was- and how the forms of the town’s roadways and structures interacted with the ocean. It was here also that I got the opportunity to scuba dive for the first time in my life. Descending into the clear blue water, a whole new world revealed itself before me- vibrant coral reefs hidden under pillow basalt bubbles, curious fish, and colorful starfish and seaslugs. It was like stepping into another universe, one that felt both humbling and exhilarating. That first dive sparked a curiosity and passion for ocean environments like never before, awakening a desire to learn more about marine ecosystems and protect the delicate beauty hidden beneath the waves. My advice for future study abroad students is this: take every opportunity you can to try new things and explore your interests. You never know what might spark ideas or passions, opening up new possibilities for your future. Because I decided to explore a beautiful coastal community and (on a whim) go scuba diving for the first time, the possibility of working in ocean towns, with the underwater environment and diverse culture, opened up before my very eyes, and may now be a reality- one I never expected to find or had ever considered before. The world is an incredible, diverse place, with so many opportunities out there. All it takes is the willingness to find them