Italy Fall 2005

Cal Poly Pomona Landscape Architecture quarter in Italy.

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Location: Santa Barbara, California, United States

I am a Landscape Architect and own my own design firm, True Nature, in Santa Barbara. I am interested in sustainability, ecological and historic restoration, water quality, water conservation, and lowering automobile dependency with green design for numerous reasons. These values enrich my design work by igniting creativity and a desire to make places that people will enjoy and want to care for. I also enjoy watercolor painting, kayaking, and hiking around beautiful Santa Barbara.

Friday, September 09, 2005

Florence 9-7-05



Our first stop in
Florence was to the Duomo by Brunelleschi. The façade of the building is all marble...green, white, and pink. You can see some of the flood damage from 1966 in the first photo. The cathedral is absolutely amazing..nobody attempted sketching this one!

We met at the Piazza Anunciata, one of the earliest Renaissance plazas. The grad students and Richard Scott and his wife left an hour before the undergrads so that we could do some sketching in Florence. We had a wonderful cappuccino and pastry breakfast before turning into artists.

I kept seeing these impromptu outdoor cafés all over Florence. A metal grate is placed in the street and rests on the curb to make a dining patio. I’ve seen them enclosed with iron gates or planters. Again, the pedestrian is dominant in this city. As we walked around, we watched the city come to life as all of the shopkeepers arrived and opened their shops.

We passed over the Ponte vecchio and a market on our way to the Uffuzi and Piazza della signora. The Piazza is like an outdoor sculpture room.


A cathedral and beautiful courtyard behind the David statue.




Our next stop was to the Boboli Gardens. I paid homage to the statue of Bacchus, the wine god! The garden had magnificent views of Florence, the Duomo, and the countryside.




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