Taking in the Colosseum; Rome
Author: Shiloh Bermis | Major: Architecture
I don’t believe that I will ever forget my very first impressions of the Eternal City of Rome. Fresh off a charter bus from the airport and battling intense jetlag, myself and my roommates were spit out onto the sidewalk, waiting for direction quite literally leaning against the historic walls of Vatican City. Minutes later, after finding our guide, we followed them around the corner to our apartment, and were greeted with a spectacular view of the Dome of St. Peter’s rising into the morning sky. It was about 11 pm home-time, and I can honestly say that, struggling as I was to keep my eyes open, a first taste that was any less impressive may not have maintained such a clarity in my head. But the spectacle of those first few minutes turned out to be a fairly accurate sample of the endlessly significant experiences I was to have in the coming months.
As a required portion of our Architecture curriculum, study abroad is something that we begin looking forward to from day one. I knew from the beginning that I would be choosing the option to spend a semester in Rome over the alternative summer in Mexico, and my first years of study were full of anticipation as our study-abroad semester drew closer. But it is fair to say that by August of 2021, after already having our program rescheduled mid-pandemic from the spring semester, and still occupying a constantly shifting world landscape, my classmates and I counted ourselves even more fortunate to be boarding a flight to Italy.
From the first week, our classes in Rome were designed to run parallel to each other, working in tandem to provide us a view of Rome that was as wholistic as possible. This is a lofty goal in a place with such a staggering amount of history, but I still felt that over the course of the semester I was building a basic understanding of the Eternal City’s fabric, slowly but surely piecing together historical periods, monuments, and cultural identity into a picture of Rome that made more sense each week. My view of our profession as architects and planners became more grounded and significant every day, as I was able to see how historically our predecessors have used buildings and space to shape public policy, leave lasting political impressions, and craft beautiful urbanisms. I was excited to be spending so much time walking around the city, learning by occupying and drawing rather than only looking at and reproducing pictures.
Although there is no shortage of places and history to explore there, our experiences were not limited to Rome. Travel was more difficult due to the pandemic, but certainly still possible, especially within Italy’s borders. My most significant trip was just North to Florence. This was an excellent look into a side of Italian culture different than in Rome, as we were exposed to an entirely separate lifestyle in a smaller and more pedestrian-friendly city. I was lucky enough to see one of my favorite buildings in the world, Santa Maria del Fiore, and climb to the top of its monumental dome, designed by Brunelleschi. In addition, we were able to travel into the Tuscan countryside to sample some of the best wine I have ever tasted, within the vineyard where its grapes were grown.
In mid-October, I made another long-awaited trip, this time to Venice. This held some very important stops for myself and my friends, including the Architectural Biennale and a few of Carlo Scarpa’s best designs. These were major must-see places for me and I consider myself fortunate to have been able to make the trip to see them.
In the future, I know I will look back on this semester as a shift in my life, in terms of both architectural thinking and personal growth. I also anticipate that the importance of these past months is going to become clearer as I leave them further behind, and that only some years down the road will I come to appreciate them in fullness. However, even now I believe that Rome should be a place everyone sees, for the gravity of its historical significance, and its endless cultural offerings, is impossible to overstate.