Summer Semester, 2026
Mon, June 8 - Fri, July 3, 2026
Amelia, Italy
Meets daily: Monday – Friday, 10:30 AM – 12:00 PM
after the (survey tech) co-requisite lecture 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Afternoon Workshop: Monday - Friday, 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM (4 weeks)
Students will be divided into two groups. Group 2 will meet in sketching and Group 1 will meet in the survey tech course. For the second two weeks, Group 1 and 2 will switch.
Location: Various places in the Historical Center
Lead Instructor: Elisa Pilia

Course Description:

The lectures focus on the history of architecture in Italy, including those building cultures that influenced its development, including cultures which are beyond the national borders. The course explores the evolution of key structural systems, traditional building techniques, and construction processes, highlighting their application in architectural types across historical periods as well as methodologies for their understanding and dating such us stratigraphic analysis. Furthermore, the course offers an overview on the history of restoration in Europe.

The morning workshop involves the analysis and documentation of historic buildings in the medieval core of Amelia. Participants use freehand sketching (pencil/pen/watercolor, etc. on paper) to document these buildings, a method that fosters deeper understanding through a detailed, time-consuming, and thorough process.

Summary of Lecture Content:

1. Presentation of the course and program of lectures and Tour of Amelia.

2. From Nuragic to Roman architecture

• Building techniques (megalithism, masonries)

3. Rome | Kingdom Age

• Building techniques (Vaults and domes)

• The origins of the city

• Republican Age (The Forum, the Basilica, the Tabularium, sacred architecture, early circuses, the Amphitheaters, residential architecture)

• Augustan Age (The Monumental Gardens, evolution of tombs: the Mausoleum)

• Imperial Age (Process of Romanization of the colonies: the infrastructure, the theater and amphitheater, the triumphal arches, the Baths, circuses and stadiums)

• Trajan: Imperial Forums and Markets

• Hadrian: Pantheon, Hadrian's Villa and Mausoleum

• The Antonine and Severian ages

4. The Late Antique

• Building techniques (Development of reticular trusses, masonry in opus mixtum)

• Evolution and development of new architectural types

(Imperial palaces and the domus, late antique villas, the domus ecclesiae, catacombs and cemeteries, the baths and temples)

• The Age of Constantine (Birth of the Christian basilica, cruciform basilicas and mausoleums, Roman basilicas, Churches with a central plan, Baptistries)

• The end of the Empire

5. The early Middle Ages and Byzantine architecture

• Building techniques (Masonry, Vaults, Domes on pendentive)

• Constantinople, the new Rome, Ravenna and Southern Italy

6. Romanesque architecture

• Building techniques (Pointed arch, Groin vaults with ribs)

7. The mature Romanesque

• The Lombardy- Padana area

• The Venetian Lagoon

• Central Italy

• Rome

• Arab-Norman Sicily

8. A) Gothic architecture

• Building techniques (Arches, vaults, flying buttresses and pinnacles)

• Origin of Gothic: L'Ile de France

• Italy and Umbria, Venice, Siena, Milan

B) Late Gothic architecture

• Catalonia and Aragon

• Sardinia

9. The Italian Renaissance

• Building techniques (Domes and tie-rods in masonry)

• Brunelleschi, Leon Battista Alberti, Francesco di Giorgio Martini, Bramante and Leonardo

• The Florentine urban palace

• The ideal city

10. The early sixteenth century

• Rome (Bramante, Raffaello, Baldassarre Peruzzi)

• The new basilica of St. Peter's

• The Roman palace

11. Mannerism and the Catholic Reformation

• Rome: Giulio Romano, Michelangelo and Jacopo Barozzi da Vignola

• Florence: Vasari

• Veneto: Palladio

• The Italian garden

• The reformed church: new design requirements

12. The Roman Baroque

• Building techniques (Borromini and the reinterpretation of ancient models)

• The great aristocratic families and the transformation of the city

• Baroque design principles: straight streets, squares, and backdrops

• The great protagonists: Borromini, Bernini and Pietro da Cortona

13. The Eighteenth century, the Age of Enlightenment

• Manuals and Treatises

14. Italy in the Nineteenth Century

• Building techniques (Pre-modern treatises and manuals)

15. Restoration in the 19th century

• Archaeological restoration in Italy: R. Stern and G. Valadier

• Stylistic restoration in France: E.E. Viollet-le-Duc

• Conservation initiatives in Great Britain: J. Ruskin

16. Restoration between the 19th and 20th centuries

• Philological restoration: C. Boito

• Historical restoration: L. Beltrami and G. Moretti

17. Restoration in the first half of the 20th century

• Scientific restoration: G. Giovannoni and the Athens Charter (1931)

• Restoration between the two wars

18. Restoration since the Second World War

• The years of reconstruction

• Critical restoration and the reintegration of gaps: C. Brandi

• Urban restoration: R. Pane

• Contemporary restoration

Student Learning Outcomes:

Students who successfully complete this course will be able to:

• Identify and analyze historic buildings and their settings.
• Demonstrate knowledge of the evolution of building typologies, architectural styles, traditional building materials, structural systems, and construction methods.
• Develop analytical skills through methodical observation and documentation of historic structures.
• Communicate effectively through sketching observations and analysis of buildings

Format:
Lectures are mostly dedicated to the presentation of material, with some time for questions and answers.
Workshop includes time to carry out sketching assignments, instruction on sketching techniques, individual and collective reviews.

Useful Tools:
Sketchbook, transparent paper, drawing tools (pencils, sharpener, eraser, pens, watercolor pencils, watercolors, markers, compass, ruler, squares, etc.), notepad, tape measure, laptop computer, digital camera.

Useful Skills:
Freehand drawing, digital photography.

Recommended Readings:
The following reading list provides some resources, and participants are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the titles and authors listed. Many of these titles are available online. English-language titles and some foreign-language titles have been included in the reading list. Those who are proficient in other languages are especially encouraged to explore literature not available in English.

Sources in English:

Roman Architecture and building techniques

• John Bryan Ward-Perkins, Roman Imperial Architecture, Boston: Yale University Press 1981

Early Christian and Byzantine Architecture and building techniques

• Richard Krautheimer, Early Christian and Byzantine architecture, New York: Penguin Books, 1979

Romanesque and Gothic Architecture and building techniques

• Paul Frankl, The gothic Architecture, New Haven: Yale University Press 2000

Italian Renaissance Architecture and building techniques

• Christy Anderson, Renaissance Architecture, Oxford: Oxford University Press 2013

Baroque Architecture and building techniques

• Andrew Hopkins, Italian architecture: from Michelangelo to Borromini, London – New York: Thames & Hudson 2022

Grading:

You will be graded on the correct number and type of sketches for your structure (plans, elevations, details, etc.), completeness, and quality of draftsmanship.

Work will be evaluated holistically according to the course assignments. Attendance, active participation in class discussions, and general conduct will also be considered in grading. Since students often present varied previous education and experience, this, too, will be taken into consideration. Ultimately, a student’s grade reflects how well he or she has fulfilled the requirements of this syllabus.

Grading scale:

A 95% - 100%: Truly exceptional work, meets or exceeds the highest expectations of the course.

A- 90% - 94%: Outstanding, superior work in all areas of the course.

B+ 87% - 89%: Very good, superior work in most areas of the course.

B 83% - 86%: Good, solid work across the board.

B- 80% - 82%: More than acceptable but falls short of solid work.

C+ 77% - 79%: Acceptable, meets all the basic requirements and standards for the course.

C 73% - 76%: Acceptable, meets most of the basic requirements and standards in several

areas.

C- 70% - 72%: While acceptable, work falls short of meeting basic standards in several areas.

D 60% - 69%: Minimally passing work, just over the threshold of acceptability.

F Below 60%: Failing, unacceptable work.

Grading Policy

The grading breaks down as follows:

Final examination 40%

Participation 30%

Contribution to class discussions 30%

Attendance

Daily attendance in lecture and workshop components is expected. If you miss class for any reason, please email the professor immediately.

Assignments / Exam

Produce 10 sheets (A2) of sketches: five give a general description of the building and five present details, components and analytical diagrams.

Late Assignment Policy

Unexcused late assignments will be marked down one-half letter grade. Students should discuss with the professor beforehand any reason for anticipated late submission and specify when submission will occur.

Must be taken with the following co-requisite:
Surveying Methods in Architecture: From Measuring Tape to Laser Scanning