Kelsey Broich - Cortona Study Abroad

In the summer of 2019, I spent two months studying abroad in Cortona, Italy. I took three classes, two in landscape architecture and one in book arts. My landscape architecture studio focused on two projects: a redesign for Piazza Garibaldi, the piazza before entering Cortona and a redesign for the Camucia-Cortona train station. The other landscape architecture class focused on drawing and sketching. The Cortona campus has limited printing resources so we were challenged to draw all of our graphics.

Photos of my Cortona experience can be found
at the following instagram page, Kelsey Under the Tuscan Sun.

Piazza Garibaldi sits at the entrance to Cortona. It currently serves as a drop off zone and bus stop, but students were asked to re-envision its program. Here I designed a covered market deriving inspiration from Italian architecture and gardens. The structure for the market consists of a free-standing loggia. Supporting graphics show how the structure can be used as a market during the day and a gathering place at night. The floral, or lotus like motif represents the Etruscan symbol for victory and life. Finally, the center of the new market space has the Cortona logo engraved in the paving to connect the space to Cortona's identity.

The Camucia-Cortona Stazione site is a small paved area between the train station building and the train tracks. The current space serves as parking for mopeds. I converted it into a beautiful space to wait for a train. I wanted arriving visitors to be welcomed by the sun because in the two months of living there, it only rained twice. The design of this space was influenced by the Villa d'Este in its paving patterns, materials, fountains, grottos and faces within the garden.

Below are process sketches for the Camucia-Cortona redesign.

In the drawing and sketching course, we were tasked to focus on light and shadows through drawing statues and objects found in the garden. We were given a brown sheet of paper to use the paper as a middle tone.

Each week, students were also asked to turn in a postcard sized watercolor. You'll see three below in an accordion-style book. Below is also an array of books representing the different styles of binding I learned in my book arts class.

UGA's campus is maintained by the UGA Cortona Campus Beautification Society, a group of students who help with landscaping around the Severini school and UGA dormitories.