These are the highlights of what I have learned and studied, yet it is not everything I saw or experience. I saw a whole breadth of history in this five week trip. I carefully analyzed the architecture of Italy through sketching as well as research and reading. I learned a great deal of what architecture was in the past, as well and what architecture is today, which left me with thought of what architecture could be in the future. I learned about the wholistic element of Classical and Renaissance architecture. Architects of the past created their definitions of ideals and expressed them in architecture through perfect proportions and harmony, from minute details to grand monumental scales. I have learned that architecture goes further than buildings. Architecture becomes the urban fabric, and through this we can see the influences of religion, government, and the natural world on how cities are designed. And when we begin to analyze further, we begin to see the intentions of the architects and why they chose to design the way they did according to their time and context.
By taking part in this trip, my biggest take away would most likely be developing a greater appreciation for the minds that take on the task of architecture because it is a compilation of analyzing, studying, and considering so many different aspects of the world. I think that it is important to look back at what came before us architecturally because these are the roots of what architects are designing today. Architects can look through history and decipher what things worked and what things did not. After returning home from this trip, I am more motivated to look throughout architectural history and beyond the architecture of the United States in my studies and my pursuit of architectural licensure, for it will help me learn more methods and techniques for my future career.