Week 8: Tuscany Trip

This week we traveled as a class to Tuscany, a region in Italy located to the northwest of Rome.  We visited several different cities, each having their own distinct and unique aspects, but they always seemed to relate to the Roman way of life.  We first stopped in Bologna, where we were able to experience a very amazing event.  In the time that Cathedral San Pietro, located in the main square Piazza Maggiore, science was becoming a part of the church.  Within the Cathedral there is a tiny hole in the ceiling that lines up with the meridian line; but this past Wednesday was February 29th, a leap year which made it extra special. 

The sun disc on the meridian line.

The sun disc getting closer and closer.

The most interesting part about Bologna, which most of us agreed, was the arcades. Not only are the arcades aesthetically pleasing, they are very smart architecturally.  They provide protection when it is raining and increase the square footage of buildings by creating spaces above the covered sidewalks.

View of the arcades from Piazza Galvani.

A more modern version but with the same arcade concept.

A view from the Siena train station.

We also visited Siena, a complex city that follows the contour lines of the city.  It consists of very steep streets and many many stairs; that all seem to come together in a harmonious way.  Siena was the first city in the world to have a planning code that was called the anti-sprawl code.  The city itself is very dense but is surrounded by farms and rolling hills

which releases the tension of being inside the narrow city streets.

The dense city to the open farmlands.

The most important thing we learned in Siena was the relationship of spaces that are on different street levels. 

Long slope in Piazza del Campo.

Some of the group sketching in Piazza del Campo.

The gang on steep stairs behind Santa Maria Assunta.


As a group we climbed yet another obstacle that day in Siena; the tower in Piazza del Campo.  It took awhile to get to the top and by the end everyone was out of breath but it was well worth it because the view was spectacular.

The long trek to the top.

A beautiful shot of the moon and the tower.

View from the tower.

Tom taking a well needed breather.

Looking down on people enjoying what sun is left in the piazza.

In Florence, we were able to visit and sketch several buildings that we had learned about in Michelle’s history class, such as the Uffizi Gallery and Foundling Hospital. We analyzed the geometry of the façade of Santa Maria Novella, walked up Michelangelo’s staircase to the Laurentian Library, studied volume in the Old Sacristy, and climbed to the top of Brunelleschi’s Dome. We were lucky to have stayed in a hotel across the street from San Lorenzo.

Eric explaining the principle of the second man.

The famous stairs at the Laurentian Library.

The dome with a breathtaking background.

More stairs!

Christine safely making her way to the very top of the dome.

All the guys on top of the dome...and Lauren.

All the girls.

Elena having a staring contest in the Baboli Gardens.

The countryside of Florence.

Florence at night.

On the second night in Florence, we indulged in delicious steak at the group dinner. It was a diversion from all of the pasta and pizza we have been eating in Italy!

The whole CUArch Rome 2012 crew.

We found that these three cities are similar to Rome in many ways yet each city has its own differentiating factors. The streets of Bologna are lined with continuous colonnades. In Siena, the vertical change plays a major role. For example, while a slope in the ground is present in piazzas across Rome, Piazza del Campo emphasizes the slope. In Florence, the Duomo made it fairly simple for us to orient ourselves.

By: Sean Toner, Claudia Wainer, Chris Weimann and Katie Simonse