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Wrapping Up First Floor Renovations

There is really nothing like brand new walls and an uncluttered room to show off the beauty of the ceilings in our newly renovated Exhibit Hall! The first phase of much anticipated renovation project of the UW Rome Center first floor is finally coming to a close after breaking ground in January 2019. While the project has weathered numerous roadblocks along the way, not to mention the impact on the global pandemic on construction, the outcome is truly extraordinary and was quite arguably worth the wait.

Every surface has been touched, with careful attention to preserve the historic prominence of the structure while providing a modern educational environment for years to come. Most notably, we’ve redesigned the first floor to maximize educational space and utility. To this end, we made several important changes to the configuration of rooms, beginning with the creation of an inviting waiting area at the entrance of the floor. Next to that, we’ve added a new community kitchenette for use by faculty, students and staff. Further down the hall, we’ve built a new classroom, and just before the Conference Room, we’ve opened up the former seminar room into a spacious, well-light Exhibit Hall cloaked by the striking fresco on the vaulted ceiling depicting Juno, Aeolus, god of the winds, and the nymph Deiopea. This new space will be used to feature student projects and short term exhibits of local artists and members of the UW Rome Center community. Beyond the Conference Room, we’ve repositioning the faculty apartment to allow for a Seminar Room in the farthest room of the floor, which will also allow for communal access to the terrace overlooking Campo de’ Fiori.

Beyond these great changes, beautiful new tile floors have been laid, lighting has been completely redone, new kitchens have been installed in the faculty apartment and the communal kitchenette, all bathrooms have been redesigned and new equipment installed, all walls have been painted and trimmed, and fire, safety, HVAC and electrical systems have been completely updated. The finishing touch will few educational technology including audiovisual equipment and computers in all of the classrooms and the Conference Room to be installed in the next few weeks. We look forward to sharing this new space with our faculty and students, with the return to study abroad anticipated for Autumn Quarter 2021!

Also exciting is that renovation work on the third floor has commenced. Preparatory work including redoing some non-loadbearing walls, demolishing bathrooms, and reinforcing of the floors is already well underway. Like the first floor, we have redesigned the third floor to maximize educational space and utility. Major changes including moving the office to the former faculty apartment, creating a new Business Center in the former faculty office and moving the library to the space below the Business Center. We look forward to keeping you updated on this next phase of this project!

Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day

As the well-known adage goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. In the last six months, significant progress has been made on the first floor and we’re pleased to report that the project is nearing completion! Since we last updated you, the electrical systems have been completed, beautiful new tile floors have been laid, kitchens have been installed in the apartment and the communal “Relax Area”, walls have been prepared for painting, lighting has been mounted, and fire safety measures have been implemented. Work to be completed includes installation of the bathrooms, completion of the HVAC system and mounting of fan coils, painting of the walls and trim, and installation of new educational technology including audiovisual equipment and computers in all of the classrooms and the Conference Room.

Perhaps the most exciting change on the first floor in the renovation is the opening up of our new Exhibit Space, which formally served as the Seminar Room. Now, as you walk down the hall towards the Conference Room, the hallway opens up into a spacious, well-light room cloaked by the striking fresco on the vaulted ceiling depicting Juno, Aeolus, god of the winds, and the nymph Deiopea. This new space will be used to feature student projects and short term exhibits of local artists and members of the UW Rome Center community.

Other important changes to the first floor include a Relax Area for students, faculty and staff to eat lunch or drink a caffè, as well as repositioning the faculty apartment to make better use of the former Classroom C (which will now be the living/dining room of the apartment), and to allow for communal access to the terrace overlooking Campo de’ Fiori. Overall, the space will be more functional and encouraging of more places for interaction amongst our students and faculty once we return to study abroad.

Meanwhile, as we finalize the project on the first floor, renovation work as already gotten underway on the third floor. Preparatory work including redoing some non-loadbearing walls, demolishing bathrooms, and reinforcing the floors began in October. To make way for this work, the UW Rome Center office was moved to former computer lab on the fourth floor, where it will be located until the third floor is completed. Similar to the first floor, the design plans for the third floor will maximize educational space and encourage use of shared work space in the new Business Center.

Of course, the big question we are all asking now is when University of Washington students will return to Rome. We are hopeful for a strong return in Summer 2021, and we currently have 11 programs pending approval to come in the Summer and Early Fall terms. We are beyond excited to welcome students back to the UW Rome Center and for them partake in the transformational experience of study abroad in our newly renovated space.

UW Magazine recalls the visionary UW architecture professor Astra Zarina

Highlighting the personality and panache of UW architecture professor Astra Zarina, who launched the first UW Architecture study abroad program in spring 1970 and who later led renovations of the largely abandoned Palazzo Pio, which became the home to the UW Rome Center in 1985, this article walks us through the life and legacy of our founder.

A (very different) summer in Rome

Needless to say, life as we knew it has transformed in the last four months since I last provided you with an update on the situation in Italy and at the UW Rome Center as it relates to COVID-19 and the subsequent global pandemic. Back then, the situation was grave in Italy, and, if you’ll permit me to say, ironically grave in Seattle as well. Since then, what an incredible shift we’ve all experienced in the trajectory of our personal and professional lives on all levels. Undoubtedly, we’ve all been impacted greatly by this global pandemic. And now we are all working to make sense of what has transpired and what changes are now required in our daily practices to keep us all healthy and safe.

Here in Italy, we spent nearly three months under strict lockdown until May 4th, when we were finally allowed to leave our homes without restrictions to travel to other neighborhoods, go to parks, etc. Two weeks later on May 18th, restaurants, cafes, museums and archeological sites (e.g., the Colosseum) were allowed to reopen under significant physical distancing requirements. A week later, gyms, pools, and other businesses resembling “normal” life were allowed to reopen. The progress was slow, but significant.

As a nation, we are still emerging from the crisis. While Italy was the first European country to be hit hard to by the pandemic, the national response was mindful and observant. We stayed at home, we wore masks and gloves and observed physical distancing when necessity (literally, for groceries or prescriptions only) compelled us to leave home. When lockdown ended and some businesses were allowed to reopen, we slowly ventured out and began to reconstruct our social norms under new limitations on how and when and for how long we could interact and function as a society. These are not easy questions to navigate under continued questions on spread and control of the virus.

At the UW Rome Center, things are quiet but progressing. Our academic programs have been cancelled through the end of the 2020, but we are hopeful that we’ll be welcoming in our Winter 2021 programs through our newly-renovated first floor doors in early January. The first floor is due to be completed mid-September, after which we’ll be moving the office up to the fourth floor and packing up the third floor for renovations to begin there starting in late September. Back on the first floor, we’ve have a new Exhibit Space featuring the amazing frescoed ceiling, a new Seminar Room adjacent to the terrace allowing full access to the terrace for students and faculty, and fire-safety-compliant exits through both the main front door as well as the back door beyond the grand Conference Room. Furnishings for the classrooms are a current question mark given the uncertainty of our financial situation at the moment.

Regardless, we remain hopeful for 2021, for the dissipation and control of the virus globally, for the transformation of all of our lives into the “new normal”, and for return of our students to the UW Rome Center. We are here waiting with open arms, which we’ll hold open (but at 2 meters apart).

From a classroom to the city: Alondra’s story

At a time when most of us are sheltering in place because of the pandemic and our worlds can feel rather small, we wanted to connect with some of the wonderful students who have studied at the UW Rome Center.

On that note, we’re pleased to introduce you to Alondra Rodriguez. She’s a UW junior from Federal Way, WA, and is double majoring in archaeological sciences and history. Last summer, Alondra studied at the UW Rome Center with the support of a UW Study Abroad Scholarship. Her program, Staging the City: Performance, Power, and Identity from Empire to Mussolini, convinced her that it is essential to evaluate history and the present day from multiple perspectives. We caught up with Alondra to ask a few questions about her experience, and wanted to share her responses with you.

Why did you choose your study abroad program?

Throughout my time here at the UW I have taken many courses, among them classical archaeology and history courses, including a year of introductory Latin. I wanted to apply the knowledge of Rome that I had gained through coursework to the actual city itself. By selecting this program I also hoped to grow my understanding of the city in its classical context in addition to gaining new perspectives of Rome through other eras. I looked forward to becoming more observational of the art and infrastructure of a city so I can apply that to view the evolution of the identity and culture of a city. This program provided me the opportunity to expand my previous education, learn more about the relationships and interactions between people and the Eternal City, and most importantly, allowed me to share my knowledge with others during and after the experience.

What was your program like? How did you learn?

We looked at how Rome has continuously evolved its identity and created power through art and architecture. The program also explored how the city’s power and charisma connects to our present and has shaped modern living in Rome today as well as how visitors identify with and interact with the Eternal City. Through interactive and interdisciplinary activities such as studying Italian language, immersion in cultural activities, reading about Rome’s past, and embarking on tours of Rome’s art and architecture, it offered many different perspectives and methods to view the identity of Rome.

What was something unexpected that you got out of the experience

New friendships. This was unexpected for me as I am a bit timid and thus was unsure if I would make friends during the program. However, the memories I created with the friends I made were the most memorable part of studying abroad. It was these experiences that illustrated to me that the most unexpected thing that comes with studying abroad is connecting with others which in turn can help one personally grow from such interactions. I am thankful that I met remarkable people during this experience and that we still keep in touch today.

Did you have any concerns about studying abroad?

Before studying abroad I had numerous worries, however, those concerning searching for and selecting a program that would be the best fit for me were alleviated by the support and advice of my friends and family members. Having little knowledge as to how to finance my study abroad opportunity was also a concern. With this in mind I decided to visit UW Study Abroad. There I spoke to the scholarships adviser, who was very helpful in explaining how I can finance and budget for my trip. I learned that once I had submitted my study abroad application I would automatically be considered for a UW Study Abroad Scholarship. I later received the UW Study Abroad Scholarship, which greatly helped covering expenses for my study abroad program.

How was it helpful to have a scholarship?

Without a scholarship, participating in a study abroad program would have been difficult. I am a first-generation college student, meaning that my parents did not have the opportunity to continue their education past high school. I am grateful for my parents’ support of my academic pursuits, and having a scholarship helped lift a financial burden. I am very thankful to have received it.

How will study abroad help you in your future career?

Studying abroad through this program gave me additional tools to view history and culture through a distinct lens. I can now tackle issues that were created when we viewed history from limited perspectives. Additionally, gaining the skills to picture not only the history, but the identity and culture of a city allowed me to expand my knowledge of how a city like Rome can be viewed in relation to the rest of the world. It gave me a global perspective, a significant tool and a point of view that I apply when studying other cities and cultures in other courses. The skills I have learned and applied from my experience abroad has helped me and will continue to be fruitful in my educational career and beyond.

 

UW Rome Center & COVID-19

Dear friends,

In these extraordinary times, community and human connection are more important than ever. In that spirit, I wanted to reach out to you, our UW Rome Center community, to share an update from the Palazzo Pio.

As you well know, Italy was among the first nations affected by the COVID-19 outbreak. Over the past month we watched the virus spread, the government’s response, and the impact on the people. As it now is in many parts of the U.S. and across the world, life here in Rome has been put on hold, with schools and universities, museums, archaeological sites, restaurants, cafes, stores, theatres and cinemas all closed, as well as public events cancelled. There is not a soul in Campo de’ Fiori or on the streets.

On February 29th, we made the difficult decision to suspend our winter quarter study abroad programs, with students heading home two weeks early and finishing up their classes remotely. A few days later, we decided to also cancel our spring break programs. These decisions were heartbreaking, as our students have planned and looked forward to their study abroad experiences for so long.

Still, we are looking ahead to a bright future for the UW Rome Center. Renovation work on the Palazzo Pio will continue as soon as is feasible, and we look forward to welcoming students back to the UW Rome Center when circumstances allow. The renovation project has the potential to cement the UW Rome Center’s future as a home for our students, faculty, alumni and friends in the Eternal City. With your deep connection to Rome, you know first-hand the transformative power of time spent in Italy. We will keep in touch with you in the coming months to keep you informed about the project.

At this time, and always, I am deeply grateful for our wonderful UW Rome Center community. I know that the COVID-19 outbreak is deeply affecting Seattle and other places around the U.S. and the world. I hope that you and your loved ones are healthy, and I look forward to seeing you in Rome again sometime soon.

Sincerely,
Amity Neumeister signature
Amity Neumeister, Resident Director
UW Rome Center

Study abroad “straightens my path to success”

Thomas Le is a Civil Engineering student from Seattle. He studied abroad at the UW Rome Center last summer. We wanted to hear more about his experiences and how he made it all happen, with the help of great support from UW Study Abroad and the UW Rome Center. Here’s what he had to say.

Want to help more students like Thomas study at the UW Rome Center? Make a gift.

Why did you choose the Engineering Rome study abroad program?

The desire to obtain more knowledge and take in different perspectives motivated me to explore different branches within the civil engineering department. I choose the Engineering Rome study abroad program to refine my professional focus and explore 3000 years of history of all Roman Engineering accomplishments. In addition, I wanted to experience what it feels like to live in Rome for 3+weeks as a local, not a tourist.

Describe your program in a few sentences

Engineering Rome is an eye-opening experience to many great adventures and a way to gain more perspective on engineering thinking, culture, and the world. It was a trip of a lifetime and I’m very happy to have experienced it with my peers.

What was something unexpected that you got out of the experience?

I never thought that I would be able to write a professional article related to engineering, but I did it. And now it is published! I also learned how to make Italian food with Chef Andrea Consoli at Cooking Classes in Rome.

Did you have any concerns about studying abroad?

As much as I am passionate about civil engineering and was ecstatic to be offered a spot on a very competitive program, the program fee devastated me when I saw the cost. A huge shout out to UW Study Abroad Adviser Kiana Parker for helping me with applying for scholarships and finding funds to cover the cost of the trip. Aside from that, I had an internship over the summer which helped a lot with covering the cost of the trip.

How will study abroad help you in your future career?

The program expands my knowledge toward different branches in civil. The skills that I gained from Engineering Rome helps shape me to become an ideal civil engineer. It was a factor that straightens my path to success, and I can apply things that I learned during the trip to help me with my future career.

A terrace for all!

We are making progress! We reconfigured and swapped some classroom and apartment spaces in order to create quieter bedrooms (many complained about the Campo de’ Fiori noise levels in the bedroom of faculty apartment C). Walls for the new bedrooms, kitchen and bathroom of faculty apartment have been built, and the living room will be located in a former classroom space.

The apartment’s former bedroom is now a seminar room with a nice terrace. We’re especially excited about this change because it provides access to the terrace for the entire UW Rome Center community (rather than just for the occupant of the apartment, as it was before).

There are some delays to the completion of the 1st floor. We expected it to be complete in December, but we are now anticipating that it will be done in May.

However, our fire safety plans have been approved by the fire department and work on electrical (for lighting, sockets and internet) and HVAC systems is underway!

Next up for construction after the 1st floor is complete is the 3rd floor. Construction documents are being developed so that we are ready to go when the first phase is complete.

Our first-ever distinguished lecture

Tonight we were delighted to host the first-ever UW Rome Center Distinguished Lecture on the UW campus in Seattle. Kane Hall was packed, with over 240 people in attendance. Professor Alain Gowing shared his fascinating talk, “Ghosts of the Palazzo Pio”, and then Professor Steve Muench gave an update on the renovation project. Afterwards, we gathered for a Prosecco toast by Seattle chef and UW Rome Center alum Renee Erickson. The toast kicked off a great party!

Watch a video of the lecture