When one thinks of Italy, a few things may come to mind: pizza, spaghetti, tight-knit families and soccer, to name a few. The boot is also widely recognized, though, for its considerable architectural achievements, from the construction of Roman style domes and arches to being home to the Palladianism and the Leaning Tower of Pisa. For a landscape architecture major, Italy is an architectural Mecca begging to be explored.
This past June, senior landscape architecture major Stephanie Marino had the chance to do just that, during a 17-day University of Maryland program titled Italy: Landscape Architecture, Architecture, and Music. During her stay, Marino stayed in five different Italian cities, and enjoyed day trips to multiple others.
The program’s goal was to introduce a new culture to students, in order to give them a chance to analyze and determine the good and bad of a culture unfamiliar to them. Students kept a journal and a sketchbook during their travels, and learned how to better evaluate different characteristics of a culture through the use of writing and drawing.
“Italy is very inspiring and I was able to experience well-known sites of landscape design and architecture,” said Marino. “I now have a better understanding of the aspects that make designs work.”
Marino had been hoping to study in Italy long before participating in the program, and was thrilled to have the chance to study in such an architecturally diverse city. She enjoyed being able to experience the wide variety of landscapes the country had to offer, such as the open, rolling hills of Tuscan farms situated right outside the busy city of Florence.
When she wasn’t studying, writing and drawing, Marino enjoyed trying new foods, attending musical performances, and touring various sites throughout Italy. Aside from her coursework, Marino’s fondest memory of the trip was cooking dinner on her last night.
“For our last dinner together, we went to a cooking class and learned to cook an authentic Italian meal,” she said. “It was a great end to the trip and something I would not have thought to do if I had traveled to Italy outside of the program.”
Although there were benefits to visiting so many different cities, Marino would have liked to spend more time at each one. In less than one month, she stayed in Sorrento, Florence, Rome, Verona and La Spezia, and visited numerous other locations including Venice, Tuscany, Capri and Cinque Terre.
“We had to keep to a fast moving schedule in order to visit all of the cities in a very short time,” said Marino. “If I were to go again, I would want to spend much more time exploring!”
Marino’s future plans include designing sustainable, memorable spaces that showcase her interest in contemporary design. She also hopes to continue to be very involved in the landscape organizations and community volunteer programs that she took part in throughout her college career.
After college, Marino plans on working at a landscape architecture firm in the Baltimore, Md. area, but has every intention of re-visiting Italy and spending more time in her favorite cities from her trip. For those who haven’t studied abroad, Marino highly encourages it.
“Whether the program relates to your coursework or not, I guarantee you will learn much from the experience.”
