Day trip to Assisi and Piazza Analysis

Piazza analysis

Found porchetta sandwiches in Assisi!

Basilica of San Francesco

View up the hill from the Basilica

We were assigned a piazza analysis where we had to select one of four given piazzas to analyze many different aspects of the space such as: how people move through the space, the boundaries of existing buildings, auto zones vs. pedestrian zones, regular vs. irregular spaces, surface quality, etc.  We were allowed and encouraged to work in teams, so Laura and I paired up to study Piazza San Lorenzo which is a piazza we walk through almost everyday.  The first image above is of the perspective drawing, diagram and plan I drew.  We studied the paths of movement, details of the facade, how the market impacted the space and how the flow of traffic dispersed into the neighboring streets.

Yesterday we took a day trip to Assisi, which is an awesome town!  The primary reason for the visit was to explore the Basilica of San Francesco.  The facade of the building has a few gothic details, but is very minimal as is the interior of the church. The interior is much more expansive and brightly lit. I wish I could have taken pictures of the interior, but it seems to be a common theme in Italy that no photography is allowed. 

Before going to the church we stopped in a piazza to get lunch and I found porchetta sandwiches!  Made my day :) 

We had to do a drawing analysis of a narrow street and imagine that, it wasn't too difficult to find one.  However, I ventured a few streets away from the main street we took down and found a cool little residential area to sit and draw for a half hour.  When making my way back to the bus station where we were meeting, I naturally had to enjoy a little gelato.  Never gets old....

And why is it that I seem to love every city I visit just as much as the last?  They all have so many unique characteristics... Heading to Venice this weekend for nearly a week then off to Barcelona and Bilbao for our independent travel.  Blog will be updated after that!  Until then, ciao!