Alejandra Saldana ’24 is a recent alumna of the Notre Dame School of Architecture. She traveled to Italy during the winter of 2023-24 to study the architectural design of towns and how built spaces integrated with landscapes. She was supported in her travels by a Nanovic Institute undergraduate grant.
A few years ago, during my third year at Notre Dame, I studied abroad in Rome, Italy. It was in the Italian countryside, however, that I found a sense of peace and fulfillment. I visited the town of Montepulciano with my class. We walked through the town’s historic roads, while smaller perpendicular passages introduced the row of buildings that shaped it, giving us glimpses of the vast beauty of Tuscany’s landscape. As an architect, I aspire to create similar moments—ones that connect us to our roots in nature and create an environment that is healing, beautiful, and dignified.
To build on this experience, this year I returned to Italy to study towns, the spaces within them, and the strategies they employ at architectural and urban scales. I gained firsthand experience and insight into how the integration of architecture and landscape is used to enable human connections while creating dignified, beautiful, and holistic spaces for all. This exploration was crucial to my educational goals, as I am now embarking on my thesis project. My thesis proposes a center in the Val d’Orcia region of Tuscany that serves as a space for healing through art therapy and nature; a place that allows Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients to reconnect with themselves and their bodies. I will directly apply the lessons and strategies I observed and learned in Italy throughout my research.
During my research trip, I focused on two towns, Montepulciano and Pienza, and the medieval hamlet of Castiglioncello del Trinoro. These Tuscan hill towns each led me to unique discoveries. In Montepulciano, I analyzed the relationship between the Chiesa di San Biagio and its surroundings. It banks the hill town on one side, while its other facades are surrounded by the Tuscan landscape. Additionally, there is a green space with a bit of a piazza feeling. It allows one to fully embrace their surroundings, to immerse themselves in the Tuscan landscape. In Pienza, I analyzed the armature at an urban level in relation to the creation of public spaces. One specific space is that of Piazza Pio II. The space is enclosed by palazzi and the Duomo di Santa Maria Assunta - the Cathedral of Pienza. Between these palazzi and the Cathedral, one can see narrow openings that lead to a pedestrian path behind the Cathedral. These narrow openings give us a glimpse into the Tuscan landscape, and the paths allow us to follow it with the hill town's urban edge. Within cities, views are terminated by landmarks, buildings, or special elements. Here, the hard edge of the town allows for the creation of a much more holistic and profound view of the natural landscape surrounding it.
In Castiglioncello del Trinoro, I observed a rather different approach. In this hamlet, I noted a more staggered approach to buildings and the fabric they create. It is much less dense and has a much smaller scale. Regardless, its position in the Val d’Orcia region creates a setting like no other. The hamlet is nestled on the highest point in its area. It maintains its historic medieval character and beauty, and it creates views like none other. This hamlet has a much smaller church, Chiesa di Sant'Andrea, with a piazza leading to it. This piazza, however, serves as a terrace that opens towards the landscape. The hamlet is full of opportunities for one to take in its surroundings, both at the building and urban scale. It features terraces that interact with the land, breathtaking views from windows, and small passages in between buildings that open up to nature – All of which create experiences in which we can interact with and take in the vastness and beauty of the Tuscan landscape.
Architecture and nature can alter how we perceive ourselves and life. From the way we organize our towns, to the physical orientation and placement of the spaces within buildings, every architectural detail and decision is instrumental to the creation of a beautiful, harmonious, and holistic environment.
Intentional architecture adds value and meaning to life; it connects us to our very own nature and humanity. The Tuscan hill towns and hamlets I studied through my research are the embodiment of these ideas.