Self Reflection

It is amazing how much I have learned in a single semester about cultural landscapes.  When I visit a new place I am now constantly analyzing and categorizing the buildings, street layout, and urban design.  I cannot seem to turn my brain off sometimes- I am always thinking!  Learning about cultural landscapes has helped me search for clues to find out when a city was developed, or when a monument was built, or the sequence of occupancy.  I look for hints in the architectural styles and street patterns to figure out the history of a place and put the pieces together as I discover more and more. The sequence of occupancy is one of the most interesting topics I learned about this semester, as it reveals a great amount about a place beyond what you typically see on the surface.  I have to dig deeper and search for more obscure clues to figure this out sometimes, but I find this to be an useful skill that I will use forever to teach others and to learn more about history.  Not only have I learned to analyze the history of a place, I can also see how a place can be improved, which will help me in future jobs and in life in general.  I know what to look for in a suitable place to live (in my opinion) and how effective transportation and mixed use relates to that.

the Kolner Dom, analyzing Gothic Architecture in Germany

This past weekend I went to Germany and I could not turn off my cultural landscaper thinking cap.  I was constantly analyzing and wondering about almost every aspect of the cities I was touring and I enjoyed trying to figure out the history of the place through time.  In Cologne, my friend and I visited a massive gothic cathedral that was the only building in city that was not destroyed during WWII.  I would not have known that fact without my friend’s knowledge, but I could tell him more about the cathedral from just looking at it.  After having studied gothic architecture at length in class, on field trips, and becoming familiar with it from seeing it often in Italy, I felt like quite the expert and had a fun time explaining all the features of the cathedral to my friend.  From the flying buttresses to the stained glass windows to the rib vaulting, I felt confident talking about the design of the cathedral and its similarities and differences to other ones I have seen across Europe.

Observing street patterns and transportation planning in Essen, Germany

Walking around the city of Cologne, I could tell from the street pattern that it was clearly a more modern design because of the grid pattern, wide boulevards, sidewalks, and trees. Everything was planned and nice and new. It was apparently post-WWII and many of the buildings were of the international or neoclassical style.  I feel confident walking around in a new place and picking out architectural styles and dating them to a certain time period.  I can explain features of each style with ease and can teach others hints to help them look for architecture as well.

In my travels across Europe, I have been able to learn much more about each place I have been to by just observing the landscape.  Instead of just passing by a large building with columns, I notice that the corinthean order fluted columns are supporting a portico and the building façade features pedimented windows.  I notice the small details now, which causes me to stop and think and really soak in the beauty (or not) of a building.  I can walk down winding cobblestone streets and think of the Medieval people who once walked their streets with their horses.  Studying cultural landscapes has been a valuable experience and the way I view places will never be the same again.

 

Trastevere Along a Transect

Trastevere is a unique Roman community, located across the Tiber River from the main historical center of Rome (hence the name which literally means beyond the river).  This area began as an Etruscan settlement and was later conquered by the Romans as a strategic territory and became a part of the first Rome.  The Romans did not pay much attention to this area besides putting up a wall around it in 300 AD, so Trastevere flourished on its own into a unique culture.  This region of the city became a narrow maze of medieval streets during the dark ages, and is now a much desired part of the city known for its character and quaintness compared to the rest of Rome.  It is one of the few authentic localities of the city and is not heavily touristified.

On our field trip, we analyzed Trastevere along a geographic transect, from the train station to the medieval district.  The train station, which is a stop along the line from Viterbo to Roma Ostiense, used to serve as a major junction for Rome when it was built in the early 1910s.  This history is still visible, as there are tracks from streetcars that once brought people to the entrance of the train station and back out to the city.  Now the station is no longer a main junction because of the newer Civitavecchia port junction, but Trastevere still serves many commuters.  The station appears to be a bustling hub still to this day, even though its routes may have changed.  A full parking lot sits in front of the station, and trams continually drop of and pick up travelers across the street.  It is a busy area with little attention paid to the architecture and sense of place.  This section of Trastevere is definitely a place to pass through, not a place to stay.  The architecture is unwelcoming and cold, and there are only fast-food restaurants aimed at getting people in and out quickly.  There is no comfortable place to sit and rest, and the area is dominated by a continuous flow of cars and trams, telling people to continue on their way.  The area is rather run down, complete with homeless people, trash in the streets, and hideous modernist apartment buildings.  This section of Trastevere is transportation-oriented and very different from the rest of this region of Rome as we continued down the transect.

Post WWII, Rome experienced a population boom and needed to house many more people.  Only a bit further down the transect from the train station, we happened upon modernist apartment buildings and mixed use developments (apartments above shops).  This section of Viale Trastevere was not very welcoming because of the large amount of vehicle traffic, but we walked up a few stairs behind the street and were transported into a completely different neighborhood.  This little section of streets was much more isolated and quiet than on the main boulevard, and featured well-kept apartment buildings with private yards, gates, and plenty of plants.  This area is most likely inhabited by the middle class, as there were not many luxury cars parked on the street, but appeared to be more expensive than the unattractive apartments Viale Trastevere, which is situated downhill.  This quiet neighborhood also featured elements of the old and new: a no longer used railroad bridge that has been filled in with little shops, and art deco apartments above it.

We took the tram a few stops down Viale and discovered another part of the transect.  This area featured a government building- the Ministry of Public Instruction, built in 1928.  It sits on the main street, features Baroque architecture, has extensive security, and is elevated a bit above street level, showing its importance.  This building is in a nicer area of Viale, complete with tall trees, nicer office buildings that were built more recently, and plenty of apartments.  There is not much commercial activity in this area, mostly just offices and transportation in the form of automobiles and trams.  This section of the transect represents the third Rome, the Rome of today, as the municipal building features an Italian and EU flag, showing the importance of foreign affairs and a globalized world.

Via Natale del Grande is located a bit further up the transect, getting closer to the river and the rest of Rome, and is off of the main street.  It is a cleaner, nicer section of Trastevere, and appears to be heavily-used and more family-oriented.  It is a more residential area, and is much less intimidating because of more narrow streets and fewer cars speeding by. The buildings are well-kept and are decorated for the holidays, showing pride and a sense of community.  There were no observed tourists besides our class, which shows this is a place populated by residents.  There is a large piazza at the end of the street, full of children playing, parents watching on the periphery, and a street market with tents closed up for the night.  This appears to be a lively place that serves the needs of the local community.  The streets here are more narrow and the buildings are quite high, providing for a sense of enclosure, and showing that we were getting closer to the medieval quarter of Trastevere.

Further along the transect, and closest to the Tiber River, is the organic medieval Trastevere that was part of the second Rome.  It was built up in the 1200s when the rest of Rome was faltering, and features one of the oldest churches in the city: Santa Maria in Trastevere.  This church is in the main piazza of this section of Trastevere, and features a large fountain that functions as a meeting place.  Around the edges of the piazza are many restaurants with patios and street performers that add to the character of the place.  Narrow, winding streets branch off from the piazza, leading to old apartment buildings covered in vines and plants.  Locals are found walking around the streets and meeting with friends and cafes and restaurants line the small streets.  The streets are not over-run by tourists, although there are some small souvenir shops.

The medieval section of Trastevere is bustling with life and culture, and is completely opposite to the area around the train station at the beginning of the transect.  As we travelled closer to the river and towards the historic center of Rome, we experienced more culture and character, and less modernist architecture and transportation-dominated landscapes. The train station may be a place to pass through, but medieval Trastevere is definitely a place to stay.

To learn more about Trastevere and tourism, click this link: http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/lazio/trastevere.asp

A crowded parking lot outside the main station.

People flooding off the tram, heading towards the main station.

A quiet and calm neighborhood tucked away behind Viale Trastevere.

Art Deco apartments above an old railroad bridge.

Offices and trees along Viale Trastevere.

Christmas lights on Via Natale del Grande.

Santa Maria in Trastevere church.

Vines growing on apartments in Trastevere.

The Three Romes

The history of Rome can be divided into three periods, known as the “Three Romes.”  The first phase was the Holy Roman Empire, when the ancient Romans called the city their home base and their empire expanded across Europe and down to Africa.  During this time, famous structures such as the Colosseum and Forum were built and were used by the Romans.  The city featured a grid plan, with the main streets intersecting at the Forum and main marketplace.  During this time, many artifacts from across the empire were brought to Rome, including obelisks from Egypt that are still standing in places like Piazza Navona and St. Peter’s Square today.  This was a time of great prosperity for Rome and the population was quite large for a city of its time.  The empire did not last forever though, and once it fell, many left the city as the aqueducts began to dry out.  In 479AD the dark ages began, a period of time where not much happened at all in the city.  Not much evidence of this period remains and it did not have a strong influence on the future of the city since nothing of large significance really occurred.

What is left of dense, narrow medieval streets in Rome

The second Rome was the Rome of the popes, which began in the 1500s.  Many popes reigned during this time, and each came up with their own plan as to how to revitalize the city.  It is because of the popes that Rome has a Baroque street plan.  New wide, direct streets were needed to bring the pilgrims in to the city, so much of the old Rome in the Medieval core was plowed down to build roads.  A trivium plan was made, with three main streets and a central node.  This plan still exists today. The street pattern is centered around these three main streets and provide access to the center of the city.  Straight, linear streets made it easier for carriages to travel through the city.  A main road was constructed connecting Capitaline hill to Piazza del Popolo, two important locations at opposite ends of the city.  This street pattern was the first of its kind and has had great influence on urban planning, including the street patterns of Washington D.C. and Annapolis, Maryland.

The third Rome is the modern Rome, which began after the unification of Italy.  Rome became the capital of the Republic of Italy in 1861 and gained more significance as a city.  It was no longer just the city of the popes.  Everything that has happened from 1861 to now is included in this period, from the time of Fascism and WWII, to the reign of Berlusconi.  The city avoided much damage during WWII, and experienced great growth post-war in size and in population.  Rome became a desirable city and a tourist destination, known for its rich history, monuments, and political influence.

Egyptian obelisk in Piazza Navona

It is important to understand the concept of Three Romes so one can comprehend the sequence of occupancy and why the city is the way it is today.  History provides context and cultural background, and explains why the city is built in a certain way.  Rome has been a city for over 2000 years and includes a large number of past inhabitants that have all had their own impact on the city.  It is interesting to study this concept in order to gain a larger understanding of Rome because cities in the US do not have such a great magnitude of history and it is hard to wrap my head around these concepts sometimes.  Breaking up the history of Rome shows the importance of each group and each time period, and explains the differences in each era and its inhabitants.  The evolution of a city overtime is a fascinating concept, and the lengthy history of Rome is a great topic to study as it not only tells how the city came to be the way it is today, but reveals some about Italy as well.  I can now understand how certain planning methods came to be, and can relate parts of the US to Rome.

 

 

Baroque Architecture

Trevi Fountain in Rome

Baroque architecture began in Italy in the early 17^th century and follows the period of Renaissance architecture.  This style draws on the Renaissance form, but uses it in a new way to show drama with new light and shadow techniques and to express the triumph of the Catholic Church.  Baroque was linked to the Catholic churches of the Counter-Reformation.  This style represents the wealth and power of the church and expresses this with grand embellishments and detail.  Key characteristics of Baroque architecture are curving facades, broken and curved pediments, pilasters, exaggerated keystones, curved plan forms such as ovals, dramatic use of light, use of color and ornaments (such as sculptures and scallop shells) and ceiling frescoes.

 

 

 

Baroque Church in Tarquinia

The Trevi Fountain is one of the most famous fountains in the world and is the larges Baroque fountain in Rome.  It was finished in 1752 and features multiple sculptures, multi-story/giant Corinthean pilasters, rounded and triangular pediments, triumphal arch, and symmetry.

I found a perfect example of a Baroque church in Tarquinia, Italy in the center of town. It features an embellished, curving façade, pilasters, Ionic order columns, grand ornamentation, pedimented windows, and has an overall grand effect.

Renaissance Architecture

Renaissance architecture is characterized by symmetry and order, and harkens back to the classical times of the Greeks and Romans.  Architects in the 1500s rejected the elaborate and gaudy style of Gothic Architecture and moved towards a more orderly style.

St. Peter's Basilica with an obelisk in the front.

The Renaissance style was popular in Europe in the 16^th and 17^thcenturies and brought back such design features as ordered columns, pediments, porticos, and entablatures that were once used by the Greeks and Romans.  Some churches were built based on Roman designs, such as pedimented facades and giant pilasters and modified entablatures with a Roman arch.  Many Renaissance palazzos featured arcades with simple rounded arches and decorated capitals, and symmetrical vertical windows above the arches separated by a belt course.  The main ideas in Renaissance architecture are symmetry, proportion, and order featured in columns, domes, pilasters, lintels etc.

St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City is one of the largest churches in the world and is the center of Catholicism.  It is the main feature of St. Peter’s square and is of the Renaissance style.  Michelangelo was the main architect for most of the construction of the façade and was also responsible for the large iconic dome that sits atop the basilica. The façade of St. Peter’s is clearly Renaissance, and was constructed from 1506-1626.  It features symmetrical pedimented windows, pilasters and columns, and has a pediment above the main entrance and the window the pope greets the crowds from.

Renaissance apartments in Tarquinia

Behind the façade is the portico, extending the length of the front of the church, and leads to the entrance of the interior. The floor plan of the basilica is a Greek Cross, harkening back to classical times. The massive dome above the basilica is an ellipse, rather than rounded and was inspired by Brunelleschi’s dome in Florence and the Pantheon.  St. Peter’s square also includes and obelisk, which was common during the Renaissance.  Architects implemented these as motifs based on ancient designs.

St. Peter’s is a more extravagant example of Renaissance design.  In Tarqunia, a coastal Italian city in the Lazio region, many of the existing apartment buildings are of Renaissance style.

Renaissance gardens in Bagnaia at Villa Lante

They feature simple design, symmetry, and order.  The facades feature stucco and evenly spaced windows separated by story by horizontal belt courses.

Another popular thing to design in Renaissance times was the garden.  Symmetry and order are the main design components here.  Paths are geometrical and plants are well-trimmed and not over-grown.  There is nothing very natural about Renaissance gardens.  They appear to be more of a man conquering nature kind of ideal.

A Little Bit of Italy in Flagstaff

Flagstaff, Arizona was originally built by the railroad company that was putting tracks through the area.  The original town has a classic railroad town grid that aligns with the tracks.  Shops line the street along the tracks and the important civic buildings are a few blocks down and are less prominent.  The entire downtown area is a grid pattern, which was created by the railroad, but was clearly influenced by the Italians.

Rusticated stonework throughout downtown.

The ancient Romans always had a forum in their cities, where the main north-south and east-west streets intersected at the main marketplace, the economic and commercial center of the city. This was essentially the birth of the downtown grid pattern.  The idea of the rectilinear street grid was typical of the Romans in many of their cities, including Florence and Rome.  Though Flagstaff is far from ancient Rome in both time and place, it was clearly influenced by ideals of these ancient peoples.

Gothic Revival church in downtown featuring pointed arches, ornamentation, and a tall bell tower

Renaissance urban planning, which also began in Italy, has made its way to Flagstaff as well.  This method builds on Roman town planning with a rectilinear street grid and is planned by a central authority (in this case the railroad company).  There is a sense of order in downtown Flagstaff, as the blocks are symmetrical and a grid pattern, and there is even an American version of a European square.  Heritage Square functions as a community gathering point and is used for many events throughout the year.  Cities in Italy also have many piazzas where people can gather and have functions.

The grid pattern of downtown varies greatly from the rest of Flagstaff.  Northern Arizona University, located just a few blocks south of the tracks from downtown, is aligned with the cardinal directions, rather than to the tracks.  The Romans aligned their cities along the north-south, east-west axis, and this was brought to America.  Most of Flagstaff beyond downtown, including NAU’s campus, is organic and picturesque.  The campus follows the landscape and the streets are not in a grid pattern.  My apartment, just across the main boulevard from NAU, is in a more organically planned region of town.  Medieval Italian towns feature an ad-hoc design method, where buildings are constructed randomly through time with no overall street plan.  This ad-hoc design method is clearly visible in much of Flagstaff, where new apartment complexes and housing developments are added to over time in an organic fashion with little attention paid to cardinal directions or street grids.

Blome building at NAU. Photo from google images.

Palladian window in downtown Flagstaff. Photo by Brian Agnew.

Architecture in Flagstaff has also been influenced by the Italians.  Rusticated stonework can be found on many buildings in downtown, and there is even a Palladian window on the Masonic Temple.  The county courthouse is of the Romanesque Revival style, and features heavy stonework and Roman arches.  There is also the Gothic Revival style Church of the Nativity downtown with its steeply pitched roof, pointed arches, and quatrefoils on the bell tower, and the Italianate McMillan Building on Leroux St. that houses the piano clock store. It features a low-pitched roof, two stories, wide overhanging eaves with decorated brackets, and tall narrow windows that are slightly arched.  This style dominated Main Streets across the Midwest, and found its way to Flagstaff with the railroad. We have Thomas Jefferson to thank for the layout of NAU, as he was the last great Palladian architect and basically created the American college campus.  The Blome building at NAU features some Italian elements, especially the trabeated and pedimented portico with large Doric order columns, and rusticated stonework on the facade.

It seems that there are Italian influences almost everywhere I look in Flagstaff!

 

(photos by author unless otherwise noted)

 

Piazza San Lorenzo

Viterbo is a medieval city in the heart of Italy that has a rich history of religion and architecture.  This historic center of the city is surrounded by medieval walls and features the papal palace, the main tourist attraction in Viterbo.  This city was chosen as a location for a papal palace because of its proximity to Rome, which would allow the pope to flee the city in times of crisis and violence.  The palace is located in Piazza San Lorenzo, next to the Duomo di Viterbo and near Palazzo Fernese.  The style of the piazza is a combination of Romanesque, Gothic, and Renaissance, which shows the sequence of occupancy in Viterbo through time.

Bell tower with black and white stripes like the duomo in Orvieto.

The duomo was originally of a Romanesque design, but was updated with a symmetrical Renaissance façade. The inside of the cathedral is of typical Romanesque style, with decorated capitals and rounded arches supported by columns. It was built in the 12^th century and from the middle of the 13^th century on, the cathedral became more important because of the presence of various popes in Viterbo.  A Gothic bell tower was built next to the cathedral at the end of the 13^th century, which has the same basalt and limestone stripes as the duomo in Orivieto. The orginal façade was completely destroyed and was updated to a Renaissance style with symmetrical rose windows and a simple design.  The board game style design of the piazza cobblestones mimic that of the piazza in Pienza where renaissance urban planning all began.  Design features from different areas of Italy were diffused into this piazza mainly with the pope and his court.

Piazza San Lorenzo and the papal palace

The papal palace is purely Gothic, with pointed arches and lightened feeling in the stairways and loggias. This was the seat of the Papal Court from 1257 on, and thus the church served as the central authority in this piazza.  Etruscan and Roman stones can be found in this piazza too, built into the existing buildings.  This shows the sequence of occupancy in the city, and that people have lived here for many centuries.

Romanesque Architecture

Romanesque architecture was common between the 6^th century and the 10^thcentury, and was followed by Gothic architecture.  This is the first architectural style since Imperial Roman to be found across the entire continent of Europe, and is featured in many castles and churches.

Romanesque design in Pisa. Rounded arches abound.

This style, also known as Norman in England and France, combines features of Western Roman and Byzantine styles and is characterized by the use of round arches, thick walls, and heavy, geometric decoration.  The term Romanesque means “derived from Roman” and features one of the most important aspects of Roman architecture: the rounded arch.  The main theme of this style relates to the Roman arch: many of the features are rounded.  There are often rows of round-headed windows and blind arcading with round arches, and doorway and wall openings are typically round arches as well.  Romanesque buildings are known for their massive quality, thick walls, groin vaults, large towers, and decorative arcading, and are of a regular, symmetrical plan. Overall, Romanesque churches are much more simple than the tall Gothic churches that followed.

Rounded apse. Duomo in Pisa

Piazza dei Miracoli is a strong example of Romanesque architecture.  This historic piazza, located in Pisa, features a Romanesque cathedral, baptistery, and the famed leaning tower.  The marble façade of the cathedral is typical Romanesque, with a tall top gable rising high above the rest of the church, a main curved apse, and blind arcading and layers of round-headed windows that provide horizontal definition.  The bell tower and baptistery follow the same pattern, with rounded arches, blind arcading at the bottom, and heavy, geometric decoration.  All three structures are made of white marble, which provides for a sense of connection between the three.

Lucca, a city in Tuscany not too far from Pisa, features more examples of Romanesque architecture.  Chiesa San Michele in Foro is a typical Romanesque church, with a marble façade, blind arches, marble columns, and has heavy décor.  It was clearly influenced by the Pisan Romanesque style.

Romanesque church in Lucca

 

 

Pienza: The Cradle of Urban Planning

This past week, I visited Pienza, home to the birth of Renaissance urban planning.  This Tuscan town, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, sits on a hilltop overlooking the Italian countryside.  The surrouding land is used for farming and is a UNESCO World Landscape Site, meaning that the landscape can not be altered from its original usage and further development is prohibited. Pienza was once a medieval town and was the birthplace of Aeneas Silvius Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II in 1485 and later commissioned the rebuilding of Pienza as an “ideal” Renaissance town. Bernardo Rossellino was the architect in charge of the project and was responsible for the design of the cathedral, town hall, and palazzo around the main central piazza.

Renaissance Duomo in Pienza

The main piazza is especially significant because civic and church functions were placed in the same area.  The cathedral stands taller than the neighboring city hall, showing the significance of the Church at the time. The Pope was in control of this project, thus the reason for the importance of the duomo in the piazza.  This area represents the first example of urban planning concepts, where a rational plan was devised to develop the piazza over time, which is in direct contrast to the ad-hoc planning practices of the Middle Ages.  The two palazzos, Episcopal and papal, are at right angles to the chuch and create a sense of enclosure.  Shops along the street branching from the piazza are also of the Renaissance style.  This area was planned to be a utopia, where everything that was necessary to city like was to be accessible in one area to all those that lived there.

The duomo is definitively Renaissance in architecture, as it is bilateral symmetrical, and features pilasters, rounded arches, circular windows and a pediment.  Renaissance style harkens back to classical times of the Greek and Romans and is about simplicity and efficiency of design, rather than flamboyancy like in Gothic architecture.  When you take away most of the façade design, the root of the duomo is basically a Roman temple.  This style of architecture shows that the duomo was built in the 1400s, and it was one of the first strong examples of Renaissance building at the time.

Symmetrical gardens at the palazzo

Our class toured Palazzo Piccolomino, which contains a beautiful Renaissance garden featuring a symmetrical and simple, clean design.  The plants are well manicured and the layout of the garden is geometrical.  The Palazzo is typical Renaissance style, with rusticated stone, belt courses and biforate windows, and is symmetrical and simple.  This design was heavily replicated in the Renaissance across Italy and spread west.  The Medicis in Florence copied this design for their palazzo.

Pienza is the home to Renaissance urban planning, and was influential across the entire world.  The planning principles that started here spread west and can be seen in cities from Western Europe to the United States.

Gothic Architecture

Most churches and cathedrals in Europe are of the Gothic style.  Gothic architecture evolved from the Romanesque style and was succeeded by Renaissance architecture.  This style was prominent from the 12th-16th century, and came about with the advancement of masonic and architecture technology.  Main characteristics of this style are the pointed arch, ribbed vaulting, flying buttresses, rich decoration, and higher and lighter buildings.

Duomo in Florence

The pointed arch is an important feature in Gothic architecture, as these arches are more load-bearing than rounded arches and allow for cathedrals to be much taller.  Weight is channeled onto bearing columns at a steeper angle, thus higher vaults can be built. Doorways, windows, and entrances to galleries all feature the pointed arch.

Gothic cathedrals were the largest buildings in many European cities at the time of construction.  Buildings in this style are taller than they are wide, and have a vertical emphasis, representing the might of God.  This vertical emphasis allows for large, expansive windows to be built and for cathedrals to be much lighter inside.  Gothic cathedrals often feature stained glass and are richly decorated, inside and out.

The Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore, the Duomo in Florence, is a perfect example of Gothic architecture.  It features pointed arches, a highly decorated facade representing stories of the Bible, and is very tall.  In Italy, it is common for the tower to be detached from the main building.  It also features rose windows and several colors of marble.

Duomo in Siena

Inside the Duomo in Siena

The Duomo in Siena is one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Italy.  It features a highly stylized and decorated facade, complete with golden mosaics, a rose window and pointed arches around the doorways.  Inside the cathedral, the ceilings are very high and feature ribbed vaulting.  There is a relatively large amount of light in the cathedral and every surface is decorated with frescoes, marble carvings, or stonework.