ROME-ing Around: Spring Break Study Abroad Takes Architecture Students to Italy

All designers benefit from experiencing cities, buildings, spaces, and culture.

From the mid-17^th century through the end of the 18^th century, English aristocrats completed their education with international travel. It was called “The Grand Tour,” an arduous and expensive visit to Paris and Rome and points in between. Possibly lasting multiple years, it was an opportunity to immerse oneself in another culture.

Twenty-three undergraduate and graduate architecture students and an alumnus took advantage of a similar immersion opportunity when they visited Rome from March 7^th through the 15^th with CoAD Dean Karl Daubmann and Assistant Professor of Architecture Sara Codarin, Ph.D.

Rome is known as the Eternal City with a complex history of nearly 3,000 years layered upon itself. Rome is not a museum but a thriving city with just under 3 million inhabitants. The Lawrence Technological University contingent experienced the city not as a singular entity but as a palimpsest of urban, architectural, artistic, political, and cultural elements that exist side by side.

All designers benefit from experiencing cities, buildings, spaces, and culture. International travel allows them to gain empathy by being in another culture and to practice intense observational skills. Within the walls of Rome, they visited ancient Roman sites, Baroque churches, Italian Rationalist government buildings, contemporary Italian buildings, and a range of art and sculptures.

In Rome, students were required to prepare for an on-site presentation to the group and to develop a digital travel guidebook using generative AI to document and speculate on their study abroad experiences.

John Ly, a Master of Architecture student graduating in May 2025, said, “Rome has always been a bucket list item for me. Every architect has a niche. Because mine is urban planning and institutional facilities, this itinerary was very suitable for my focus areas of urban planning and architectural design.

“For what I do, the foundation of architecture to see how things were created was really a bonus for me.” As Ly recalled his experience of walking 101 miles in eight days, he said, “My advice for future study abroad students is ‘get a good pair of walking shoes.’”

Mike Deming graduated with his LTU Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree in 1994 and Master of Architecture degree in 1997. He met Daubmann and Codarin at the reception after the 2024 AIA (American Institute of Architects) annual conference in Washington, D.C. Daubmann told him of his desire to put together an alumni trip. That trip coincided with “Rome-ing Around 2025,” and Deming and his wife, Margaret Hjalmarson, enjoyed the experience. “I attended Karl and Sara’s AI presentation, and that is part of why I supported them on this trip. I thought it was fascinating and good for the profession.”

A licensed architect with the firm HDR in Arlington, VA., Deming said, “I would highly recommend this to all architecture and design alumni. It gives us a chance to see things that architecture students are learning now and get a little extra insight that I may have forgotten about.”

Ly and Deming agreed that experiencing Rome up close and personal will make an impact on their future work.

Daubmann explained, “LTU offers an annual study abroad trip to provide students with a unique, immersive educational experience. We offer several different formats of study abroad. Our “Rome-ing Around” class has been particularly successful in recent years. It takes place during spring break, and because students accumulate enough contact hours during the trip, they earn credit for a 3-credit elective course. Many students have jobs over the summer, so students do not have to choose between work or a summer study abroad experience.

“Through study abroad, students develop a broader perspective on architecture and design by engaging directly with global examples of built environments. They strengthen their critical thinking, observational, and analytical skills by studying different cultural and historical contexts. Many students return with a richer appreciation of the global impact of design and a stronger foundation for their future academic and professional work.”

The study abroad program is open to students from both design and architecture, and both departments have participated in past visits.

This year, an anonymous alumnus supported a student with a generous donation, a testimony to the importance of such international study for architecture and design students. There is greater support available for students who wish to study abroad but may not have the resources to do so.