From sea to mountains

Walking on the Lido beaches.


Entry to the golf course we visited to get an understanding of golf course design in Italy; apparently there are no public courses in the entire country, and this particular one was fairly prestigious.



View into the course.


Decking along the lagoon.


Blue!



Panorama of the Dolomites surrounding Cortina.


Looking down from the gondola.



Ski hill in April








Walking down from the snow.


Goofballs, coffee, and chairlifts as cafe furniture.



Cortina skyline.


These photos are from a couple days last weekend spent exploring the Lido, one of the Lagoon's barrier islands, and the Dolomites, a three hour train ride from Venice. We were on the Lido on Friday and in the mountains on Saturday, and marveled at our ability to be in two completely different landscapes over the course of such a short time. The contrast is clear: to go from flat and filled with water to being enclosed in high walls still covered with snow over the course of a few hours is pretty incredible, especially for those of us from the Midwest. We ended up in a little town called Cortina, the site of the 1956 Winter Olympics, several films including James Bond and Cliff Hanger, and apparently a favorite spot of the likes of George Clooney. The kind tourist agent was surprised that we'd never heard of it. It was lovely, with artful paving in the streets and of course amazing views.

We are entering into what feels like the production period of our time here, and all of us are currently in the phase of digging for ideas and trying to formulate some kind of synthesis to present as a first stab at a design. It is becoming increasingly clear how difficult it is to design within another culture, one that uses and shapes space in very different ways than we are accustomed to. Of course we go through this phase of wanting to bang our heads against the wall with every project, but with this one in particular it feels like our toolbox has been stripped bare and we are starting anew. I think this is a good thing; it is definitely a challenging thing, and a mind-bending-backwards kind of thing. The amount of time that we have left here is starting to become something that I can get my head around, and I am feeling the need to make a list of all the places I'd like to visit, and draw, before I leave. I can tell that I am becoming accustomed to living here because the detailing, ornate buildings, canals, solely pedestrian traffic, and markets around every corner are becoming a part of the background of my life; I don't want to forget that they are unique happenings, and get them down on paper.