Ara Pacis Museum

Exterior of Ara Pacis Museum

Ara Pacis is Latin for "Altar of Peace" and was commisioned by the Roman Senate to honor the Emperor Augustus.  This altar is now housed in the "Ara Pacis Museum" which was completed in 2006.  Designed by architect Richard Meier, this is one of the only contemporary buildings in Rome and has caused much controversy among Romans.  

Interior of the Ara Pacis Museum-  Ara Pacis on the right

Along with our visit to the Ara Pacis came a sketching lecture on drawing perspectives.  See below scans from my sketchbook and lecture notes.

Project #1

An urban analysis on "The Campidoglio" designed by Michelangelo.

Milan

Our first night in Milan the weather was pretty miserable.  We were all covered in snow and freezing rain by the time we arrived at the Cenacolo Lorenziano.

This humble church is not as well known as the Duomo, but inside the courtyard it houses one of the most famous frescos ever painted.  One of the highlights of the trip to northern Italy was seeing Leonardo Da Vinci's "The Last Supper."  This painting has been the topic of discussion over the past few years for theologians, historians, and even the media.  Seeing it in person I was shocked at how large it was, and also the amazing history of the piece.  It was hit by a bomb in WWII and left outside for three years!  Parts of it has been restored and it is now protected under a very intense security system.

We had the night free, and after exploring Milan for a short while, Ryan, John, Sarah and I went to the restaurant next door to our Hotel (Hotel Pavone).  I ordered one of the most delicious pasta dishes I have ever had and we also had bruschetta. We slept well that night and work up bright and early to take the metro to see Renzo Piano's "Il Sole 24 ore Headquarters"

We had the opportunity to go to the Piazza del Duomo and even to go into the Duomo. This is one of the first gothic cathedrals I have been to in Italy, and it's detailed ornamentation was overwhelming. 

In the Piazza del Duomo is a huge indoor shopping center shown below

Como

We had a freezing snowy day in Lake Como, but during our short visit we did get to go into the Casa del Fascio.  This building was once the headquarters for the fascist party and was built by Mussolini.

The building across the street I found worth documenting as well.  It was a contemporary building, but the most unusual aspect was the car port had structural beams with potted trees overhead.  

Despite how miserable the snow was, the snowflakes were the most defined and beautiful snowflakes I have ever seen.  

Verona

After leaving Vicenza we boarded the train to Milan, but on the way stopped for the afternoon in Como. We went to the "Banco Populare" another Carlo Scarpa building, and again were amazed by his work. 

 

My highlight of the stop in Verona would have to be stopping at the Capulet Residence (Romeo and Juliette) and seeing Juliette's Balcony.  Outside the home was a wall filled with love notes, so I took the opportunity to write "Megan and Louis."

 

We also had the opportunity to go to Scarpa's Castelvecchio Museum.  Scarpa's details are incredible, and this was probably one of the best museum buildings I have seen. 

Vicenza

Verona gets its claim to fame from being the hometown to Andrea Palladio.  Here we were able to go see the famous Villa Rotunda.

This Villa was so much more than I imagined, and it was so amazing to see it in person after studying so many plans, elevations, and pictures of it during the past few years.  The elegance of the villa is far beyond what I had imagined.   Another highlight of our time in Vicenza was the Teatro Olimpico, yet another one of Palladio's masterpieces. 

Here is the main square in Vicenza, surrounded by Palladio's Basilica. 

Venezia

Venice, wow...   This is by far the most unique and beautiful city I have ever seen.  With the colors and water of Venice I feel that my pictures will better explain Venice than I can do with my words.  In Venice we stayed at the Hotel Il Mercante di Venezia and studied the Urban Space of San Marco.  We went into the Basilica di San Marco and sketched the interior volumes.  We visited the fish market and Scarpa's Olivetti Showroom.  We also rode across the water to Palladio's San Giorgio and went into Carlo Scarpa's Stampalia shown below.