EXPLORING LANDSCAPES
Humberto Cardenas Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture Study Abroad Santa Chiara 2016
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WALKSCAPES
CASTIGLIONE
In Castiglione we use walking as a form of transportation but the grid design is completey different than from America. Every street is not linear maybe due to the fact it is on a slope, but every street is curved and crates suspense as you travel with the end not in sight. Having to experience this creates a type of patience you learn to adapt to, its as if in America we are inpatient with our designs. I feel castiglion is built on views and frames, these places are mostly accessible by walking. Today I walked alone for the first time without any company and I feel it enhanced walking. Walking in castiglion embeds you with its floor textures and enclosures with its tall structures. Local events brighten up the city with its festivities and these are usually in piazzas and plazas. Since these areas are used for parking they now have a different use and people must now park in a different location. As a tourist walking is a form of experiencing a city first hand, I have not touched a steering wheel since I left the United States. I spend about the equal amount of time in a car than on my feet. Here in Italy the train system is the main source of transportation, I walk to and from the train station and I have that path embedded in my mind and I know every characteristic of that path. If a slight change happens I automatically recognize something different it’s experience I picked up from being a pedestrian daily.
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WALKSCAPES ROME
Sometimes walking within in a city might be the only way to get around, there were many cities we visited on this trip. Some due to streets being to narrow transportation was limited within the city which in general is a good thing. Rome is a big city and is recognized throughout the world. When I visited Rome I had been visiting small towns around Tuscany so Rome became overwhelming with such a large scale and filled with tourists. The feeling of being exposed to ancient ruins is remarkable, walking through and toucking and feeling places like the colloseum is a everlasting experience. Buildings are at least 4 stories high so when you turn a corner you discover ruins, churches and statues its like a discovery through wandering. You realize how much of an experience you can discover by walking and simultaneously being surprised by monuments.
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GARDEN & THE LARGER LANDSCAPES
CASTIGLIONE
Creating a city in a place like castiglione is complex but when it was built it was due to security reasons. Now fast forward to current times we realize we are in a peaceful town and most of the homes have gardens in small spaces. These gardens are often for edible and hobbies but to connect you with all the parts of castiglion that make what it is you must be elevated from the ground plane. It is possible by having access to the positions that were once used for the visibility for enemy’s decades, we can now use them to connect you with all castiglion through positions that create everlasting moments. A place where I realized this was the arches outside of Café La Posta, these arches used to be enclosed but have been opened. They now have a extraordinary view of the val di chio. An area of leisure when you can sit and have a cappuccino and take in the view of the landscape. When you arrive into the city you realize how it’s a diverse city, as you reach the top of castiglion you realize the deep history through its portas and architecture. Behind the highest point of castiglion is the val di chio which can be seen through areas of high elevation creating connection with breath taking views. Within castiglion a culture can be seen and felt through its different spaces, and one thing in common is it views. Views in gardens work together to activate and experience.
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GARDEN & THE LARGER LANDSCAPES MONTO PUCHIANO When visiting Monto Puchiano we were walking through streets and alleys but I didn’t have a sense of orientation, I didn’t feel if we were high or low. But the city is very well kept and I used that as a sense of what the city is like. We turned every alley way we encountered which made more anxious to find an open space. Open spaces make you feel as if you arrived to your destination, as if it’s the only place you may stop and occupy. There were gardens at a small scale at most houses within Monto Puchiano, when we headed towards the back of the church we encountered an amazing view. A view that showed all of the Tuscany region, it made you feel as if they own all of the fields until the eye can see. Being at such a high altitude creates a feeling of ownership and connects you with the environment. Connecting to the hillsides of Tuscany and reading its diverse landscape with its different textures and shades of green with patches of brown demonstrates its preservation and history over decades.
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GRAFTING EDELWEISS ON THE CACTUS PLANTS CASTIGLIONE Something I realized about countries other than the U.S.A. they like change but I on the other hand like to see what things were like before and in Europe they enjoy having that connection with the past with historical monuments. In Castiglion the texture of the buildings creates and set the trend which creates a dislike for new infrastructure. The feeling you get when at a high elevation is a feeling high authority or you might of prestige. To this day building the highest building is an accomplishment, there is a sense of pride in the design of Italy. Italy is home to one of the most historical sites on earth. Castiglion is built on a hill history says it was due to security reasons decades ago. Castiglion is the definition of authentic Italian city with its diverse elevations and weathered textures. It’s hard to design in a place with so much history like Castiglion because traditions are well preserved and kept generation upon generation.
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GRAFTING EDELWEISS ON THE CACTUS PLANTS FLORENCE It’s very easy to become influenced as a designer when traveling, I see things and I want to incorporate them in my designs in someway or another. The point is I am influenced, Italians did not like how they became influenced when going on vacation. Italian gardens wanted to stay purest to the Italian culture a s possible, and when traveling architects became influenced about what they saw during travels. Florence is one of the most visited cities in Italy, it also has many students studying abroad. The Architecture is amazing and is one of the main factors why it has so many students studying there. But maintaining identity is very important in Italy, and any other place in the world. Florence is a tourist attraction
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FLORENCE CASTIGLIONE BARCELONA
THE USE OF HISTORY IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL NOSTALGIA CASTIGLIONE Nostalgia is present in Castiglione and is very clear, but in all respect, it is very difficult to recreate something in the past. One extremely hard task is to please everyone the younger generation and older (clash). The lower part of the valley in Castiglione is clearly newer infrastructure with no intent to be the same. It’s as if they chose something close but not exact, compared to America its history has deeper roots. These deep roots of history bring people from around the world, not just in architectural speaking but culturally also. One characteristic of nostalgia is the feeling of the past and how it brings happiness
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THE USE OF HISTORY IN LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURAL NOSTALGIA
ELEVATED SPACES
AMALFI Amalfi coast is located deep within the mountains along Tyrrhenian sea, civilization has settled on the steep mountains of Amalfi. The settlements are hard to take in as they are in the highest altitudes but have the best views of the Tyrrhenian sea. Deep in the green hills are consistent settlements along hillsides that seem unbelievable to build. There are methods or agriculture that make it possible to grow food, it makes the experience iconic. These spaces represent the definition of a real authentic Italian garden. The style and elements within the gardens are consistent that provide backbone to the Italian way of design.
OPEN SPACE
VIEWS
SPECIES
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DEFINING URBAN SITES CASTIGLIONE One of the elements of Castiglione is its site reach, spaces have multiple programming throughout days and seasons. One example is the garden it is bar at night in the summer and offers a experience outdoor festivities. The garden is a park for children during the day and offers a fantastic view of the val di chio, this space extends Castiglion to its backyard of the val di chio. The val di chio feeds the Castiglione not just with its agriculture and but with agritourism. Agritourism is a business that will help keeps castiglions integrity, it would be a positive for the city and the people. I have visited the Olive mill and have gone wine tasting which is an experience you can only have surrounded by a agritourism setting.
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DEFINING URBAN SITES ROME Through history there are times where blood was shed and lives were lost, but battles were won and glory was made. Rome is one of the most historic places on earth, design is unique and historic in Rome. The way Rome is designed you can stand in a piazza and see into the horizon as far as the eye can see, the different axis you can take when you arrive at a open space such as a piazza. We took a photo and faced towards the sun, I got to see how every street led to that piazza. At that moment, I had the opportunity to see in position the axis design in Rome.
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DEFINING URBANISTIC PPROJECT CASTIGLIONE There are many ways to revitalize a city and I can see how every city is different so one way might work for a city but for another it wouldn’t work. In a city like Castiglione core retrofitting is best suited for a place that encourages the preservation of historic monuments. Its hard to imagine how preserving would be monumental but I’m starting to see how Italians live and how they look at their monuments. Change is a sensitive subject not just for residents but for tourists, the preservation attracts attention from all parts of the world. The strength is shown when a city and culture is still standing after decades of historic events. Castiglion is a city that has been successful with these tools and have been bringing in business and sharing their ways of living. The way a place is designed will conclude how people engage and spend their days, design has impact of community engagement. Open spaces are a perfect example of how they are poised for community events, and when you add the strengthened of culture preservation it leads to positive impacts. Castiglion is designed for community engagement and this has led to historical events which to this day are still celebrated like the flag festival. Not only does this embrace the culture but exposes for the future generations to keep this tradition going.
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DEFINING URBANISTIC PPROJECT LOUVRE The second most visited museum in the world that was originally a fortress in the late 12th century, the Louvre museum in Paris France. In the reading of “Defining the Urban Project� there are similarities with the Louvre. Retrofitting a large complex that was once the home to Kings of France turned the project into a success. The ten strategies to foster change within France have impacted the city in a positive way by attracting people from all over the world and making France one of the most visited places on earth. Views from all angles outside the Louvre give you a sense of scale and a glorious magnificent feeling. Territories with different textures and everlasting sightlines with historic structures. Similar to Vatican city I felt the Louvre has its own identity from the city, as a major contributor of attraction in France.
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