Civita di Bagnoregio

This four-week summer program in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, explores the town’s extensive urban history and the architectural conservation challenges posed by factors like geotechnical instability, erosion, and socio-economic shifts. Students examine Civita’s development from its Etruscan and Roman roots, through its decline after a 1695 earthquake, to its more recent resurgence as a popular tourist destination. The curriculum includes visits to hill towns in Lazio, Tuscany, and Umbria, focusing on documenting architectural conditions through hand drawing and digital methods, analyzing historical changes, and formulating conservation and adaptive reuse strategies. The final project entails developing a proposal for the conservation and adaptive reuse of a site in Civita, incorporating feedback from local authorities and residents.