Living and Learning in Sorrento
We are returning to Sorrento for in person classes spring term 2023-24. Students will have a choice to build a project at the Sant’Anna Institute, or continue studying online and build a project in their own community.
course details are here.
Sorrento is an ancient coastal hill town at the south end of the Bay of Naples, with views of the island of Capri, Mt. Vesuvius and the city of Naples to the north. Sorrento has the archaeological sites of Pompeii and Ercolano at the doorstep. A jewel itself and the historical vacation choice of the highest aristocracy of Europe, Sorrento is the best gateway to the equally renowned jewel-towns of Positano, Praiano, Amalfi, Ravello, Atrani, and Vietri in the spectacular "Costiera Amalfitana." Together Sorrento and the Costiera offer a first-hand demonstration of how challenges and opportunities of human settlements in a dramatic landscape are resolved by historical evolution in a unique blend of art, life and sense of place.
Students and Curriculum
Our students and staff hail from many countries. They are an enthusiastic bunch who are eagerly immersing themselves in a program that offers new ways of designing, making, and building, with the goal of increasing beauty and life in the world. The curriculum emphasizes the generation of beauty by means of the practical work of making and follows the founding principles described on the opening page of Building Beauty. The curriculum links together ecological thinking, building skills and self-awareness, along three lines:
1. Construction and Cultivation: replication of traditional building components/ornaments and a new construction project in the Sant’Anna gardens. Students realize a garden project integrated with the existing garden at Sant’Anna Institute.
2. Getting to Know a Place: Students will take an intensive short course in Italian language and through the events organized by the Sant'Anna Institute will get a glimpse of local and Italian culture. A course built around three tours of the area will give them a sense of the rich history and culture of the peninsula. Further to that the student will learn how to analyse in detail urban environments. Students will also carry out a short course in local ceramic production and the building crafts necessary for building their project in the garden.
3. Seminars: The students will continue to participate in The Nature of Order webinar and seminar, as well as other seminars organized by Building Beauty. Leading international scholars from a wide range of disciplines explore a truly interdisciplinary approach to design and construction where complexity and uncertainty are positive conditions of beauty generation. Speakers tackle important challenges in the current international agenda of sustainable architecture and resilient communities.
The Sant'Anna Institute
Sant'Anna, founded in 1998, is an institution of higher education specializing in study abroad programs accredited by a U.S. university. With the mission of creating a global community of students, faculty and scholars, Sant'Anna prides itself on fostering the exchange of ideas and growth towards a more profound sense of the world, as well as a deeper sense of self.
Sant'Anna is housed in a stately building, constructed as a convent in the nineteenth century, overlooking the Marina Grande of Sorrento on the bay of Naples. The building is comprised of five-floors, each featuring an eclectic combination of details from its past and present. This includes a beautiful Chapel and an abundant garden including organic fruits and vegetables. The first three floors are dedicated to academic use. It is on these floors that a library, student lounge, classrooms, studio space, and offices can be found. The top floors are a Residence Hall with an open floor plan kitchen, en-suite bedrooms, and a beautiful terrace overlooking the Bay. Wi-fi, heat, and air conditioning are available throughout the building.
Shared apartments in town can also be arranged. As an international community, restaurants, supermarkets, access to public transport, and other conveniences can be easily accessed.
Beyond Sant'Anna’s walls, students can navigate from one century to another, discovering archaeological sites and the treasures of the arts and architecture, bearing witness to millennia of human development in the heart of the Mediterranean.