The Texas Tech Landscape Architecture Program will conduct studio during the Fall 2013 academic semester in Italy. The study abroad program will study and live at the Santa Chiara Study Center in the rural hill town of Castiglion Fiorentino. The center is located in the southern rural Tuscany region of Italy approximately fifty miles southeast of Florence and 125 miles northeast of Rome. The landscape setting offers the opportunity to experience a rural and urban landscape that is a blend of Etruscan, Greek, Roman, Medieval, Renaissance, and contemporary expressions.

The primary academic studio emphasis for the semester will focus on the organization, form, and character of urban space such as piazzas and villa courtyards. You will develop a specific studio design solution for an urban space within the community of Castiglion Fiorentino, as well as the analysis of several urban Italian outdoor spaces. The program will be limited to a maximum of 12 total graduate and/or undergraduate students.

Courses

• LARC 4401/LARC 6401 — Urban Design (4 credits)
• LARC 4404/LARC 5316 — Materials and Details (4 credits)
• LARC 4000 — Internship (Variable, 1 to 6 credits)
• LARC 4001/LARC 5001 — Landscape Architecture Problems (Variable, 1 to 4 credits)
• LARC 6302 — Landscape Architecture Special Problems (3 credits)

All students must register for LARC 4401 and LARC 4404. The remaining credits can be acquired from either internship or problems. Studio attendance is mandatory. All classes are taught by Texas Tech Landscape Architecture Faculty. During the semester several Italian guest lectures will occur on a variety of art, architecture, and landscape architecture topics.

GRADING PROCEDURE

Each student will be assigned a grade based on an evaluation of all their course work in LARC 4401, 4404, 4001 and 4000 before departing the Santa Chiara Study Center, Italy. The grade will then be adjusted upwards or downwards based on their individual FINAL GRAPHIC FORMATTED SUBMISSION. Failure to submit the FINAL GRAPHIC FORMATTED work on an individual CD will result in the grade bieing changed to an F-Failure for any of the four courses

Note: TTU students must have completed GEOG 3303 (Geographical Information Systems) since it is a pre-requisite for the Spring design course LARC 4402.

academic schedule

The academic program will begin in late August or early September 2013 and conclude in late November or early December 2013^**. Two three-day field trips, one to Rome and another to Venice, will allow the opportunity to visit other destinations on their own or in small groups. Normally the fall break will typically occur after the structured three days in Venice. This will allow students the opportunity to visit other destinations in Italy or the European continent.

The weekly academic schedule will consist of Studio and Lecture from 8:30 A.M. to 6 P.M., Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and some Fridays, with a one-hour lunch break typically at 12:30 P.M. Structured field trips will occur on either Wednesday, Thursday, or some Fridays. Typically, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are open for individual travel and study. The Texas Tech studio space will follow the Center’s established policies related to availability (open) hours. Expect the studio to be closed (locked) from approximately 12 midnight to 7 am daily. Secondly under NO conditions will alcohol of any kind be allowed in the studio space.

^**Dates are subject to change and hopefully will be finalized by May.

transportation/travel

Each participant is responsible for acquiring transportation to and from Italy. Several airlines offer competitive rates for students. The two primary airports that are in close proximity to Castiglion Fiorentino are in Florence and Rome. Travel to the center from Florence and Rome airports is by train. The travel time is about 1 hour from Florence and 2 hours from Rome.

documents

An important component in your travel in Italy (Europe in general) is a valid U.S. passport. The program is scheduled to last fewer than 90 days, so a visa is NOT REQUIRED. If you plan to spend more than 90 total days in any European country, you will be REQUIREDto have a visa. The Texas Tech Study Abroad office will assist you in acquiring a visa. You must obtain the visa ahead of time. Please discuss this item with both Professor Billing and Elizabeth McDaniel at the TTU Study Abroad Office. Begin the application process of acquiring a passport immediately; it can take up to six to eight weeks to acquire this REQUIRED document as well as an additional four to six weeks to acquire a visa if needed.

Travel outside of Italy should be restricted to European countries only.

language

Part of the academic program and experience includes non-credit Italian language instruction. The Italians are friendly and encourage your use of the Italian language regardless of your proficiency level. Knowing some Italian can be very valuable.

STRUCTURED ITALIAN ACADEMIC FIELD TRIPS

As a general guide the following is a list of POTENTIAL (subject to change) structured weekly academic field trips.

• Villa d’Este at Tivoli
• Piazza di San Pietro (St. Peter’s), Rome
• Piazza Novona, Rome
• Villa Lante
• Sacro Bosco, Bomarzo
• Villa Farnesse
• Assisi
• San Gimignano
• Piazza del Campo, Siena
• Piazza della Signoria, Florence
• Boboli Gardens, Florence
• Villa Medici-Fiesole, Florence
• Villa Gamberaia, Florence
• Piazza San Marco (St. Mark’s), Venice

deposits

As a way of securing a place in the program a deposit will be required. At this point in time a specific amount has not been determined. Assume an amount of $500 to $1000 U.S. dollars, which will be charged by Texas Tech University Study Abroad to your student business account. For further information, please contact Associate Professor John Billing, Department of Landscape Architecture, at 806-742-2858, or e-mail him at jbilling48@gmail.com