Ziara spent three weeks in Rome and Sant’Angelo in Pontano, Italy, studying architecture and urban landscaping with students from across the globe. 

“My favorite sites were the MAXXI Museum, designed by architect Zaha Hadid, and The American Academy in Rome,” says Ziara.  

MAXXI is a national museum of contemporary art and architecture; the American Academy in Rome is a research and arts institution. After visiting these and a wide range of other historic and cultural sites known for their architectural significance and landscape design, Ziara and her peers applied what they learned to their final project: developing designs for an education and trekking center on an abandoned pig farm Sant’Angelo in Pontano, Italy. 

“I wanted to incorporate the natural foliage and landscape in my design,” says Ziara. “I used the four elements of air, water, earth, fire in creating new elements for the pig farm.”

Ziara used digital design software to develop three-dimensional models of her plans for the space, which she then presented to the mayor of Sant’Angelo in Pontano.