Riviera Villas and Gardens Walks

This course examines significances and outcomes of the relationship between architecture and nature, exploring how the Riviera culture intertwined with the surrounding natural landscape adapting to and shaping it. The course focuses on the dynamic connection between villas and gardens built by the city public effort and private entrepreneurs or industrialists at the turn of the 19th century, when the Riviera area experienced its full economic development and the Italian art scene was accommodating to the Art Nouveau trend. Since the villa-and-garden system was the catalyst for the flourishing of social activities, the course explores the pivotal importance of parks and mansions in enriching the urban artistic patrimony as well as the community life wellness. The approach of this course is based on experiencing the Riviera city as an academic space for learning and engagement. Classes will not be held in a traditional, frontal-style setting; each lesson is carefully mapped for curricular content and featured locations: lectures, observations, exercises, analysis, and reflections on presented topics are held in relevant sites that are accounted for in the academic planning, syllabus, and related course material. Coursework and submissions will be regularly assessed on the MyFUA platform through daily assignments in addition to exams, papers, and projects. Learning through the on-site classroom approach fosters a deeper understanding of the cultural environment of the Riviera area and how it is related to the subject of study examined by the course, and allows for an overall experience which contributes to the students' academic and personal enrichment.