Walking Assignment: The Medieval, Modern, and Post-Modern World

To begin, this assignment requires an analysis of a medieval city in contrast with a post-modern city. I have chosen to focus on the element of movement through space. During our Venice walking tour and Milan architecture tour, I took notes on my phone to accurately capture and remember each difference. I will start by describing Venice, a medieval town, followed by Milan's modern setting near the Duomo, and finally Isola, a post-modern island in modern Milan.

Next, I will delve into the details of medieval Venice. This unique city, with its maze of canals and alleyways, and buildings of century-old architecture, offers insight into medieval towns, transportation, and space.

On the first day of our walking tour in Venice, the very first thing I noticed was the tourism and the sheer amount of people. The town was loud with activity: locals hurrying to work or home, oblivious tourists pausing on bridges for the "perfect" picture, and tour groups clustered together, whispers in their ears. As we explored, the city streets mirrored the people - chaotic and unorganized. The long, winding alleyways were often unclean, ending abruptly and leading to various parts of Venice, with everything appearing similar due to the uniformity of the colorful buildings and canal bridges. Even by the end of the week, I still needed Google Maps to navigate the streets. An important note here will be the chaos of medieval organization versus the efficient, compact urban organization of modern cities, such as Milan and (my home) Chicago. 

Despite the disorder, there were also places of tranquility and standstill quiet. Campos, filled with families and gatherings, offered moments where time seemed to stop. In a medieval town, movement across space alternates between calm and quiet and the rushing waves of people and chaos

Foucault, in "Of Other Spaces," highlights this idea: "There were places where things had been put because they had been violently displaced, and then on the contrary places where things found their natural ground and stability. It was this complete hierarchy, this opposition, this intersection of places that constituted what could very roughly be called medieval space: the space of emplacement" (Foucault 22). Venice, like other medieval towns, embodies "the space of emplacement." There are areas of chaos and violent displacement, but there are also areas of calm, such as the Campos, where both locals and tourists can appreciate the slow-moving time, similar to the slow appreciation of the Renaissance Era. Here, one can appreciate the people, the connections, and the history, which is a clear distinction of medieval Venice. Below are photos I took to capture the different feelings of Venice:

To the left is a photo of St. Mark's Basilica. This was taken at midday, where a copious amount of tourists have gathered for tours and photos. It is busy and chaotic, showcasing the "violently displaced" space of medieval places.

Below is a photo of Campo S. Pantalon, the campo I chose for the Architectural Hunt Assignment. Again, at midday, the campo is quiet and serene, waiting for dusk to fill the restaurants and bars. Here is a place for locals to gather and tourists to rest, highlighting the space of emplacement of medieval towns.

To continue, Milan, especially near the Duomo, is a modern city marked by its urban setup and transportation. As we discussed in our walking tours, Milan is Leonardo da Vinci's "utopia," where two layers represent the city: the first layer is above ground, made for people and work, and the second layer is underneath the surface, for high-speed transportation, such as the subway. The streets of Milan are a bustling economic experience. Known as Italy's strongest city for stock exchange and thriving businesses, tourists flood the streets with a single purpose: shopping. Similar to New York, the city never sleeps, with the constant buzz of motorcycles, bells, and concert areas, there is a soundtrack of constant motion. This contrasts with the quiet atmosphere of Venice, a medieval town.

Navigating Milan was easy. It was made for efficiency and simplicity. On our second night in Milan, I decided to venture out on my own. I took the subway to a random district (what I would later track as Porta Romana) and started walking. Maybe dangerous, but eventually with the help of signs and locals I found my way back to the Duomo in just an hour and a half. During my walk, I recognized a juxtaposed aspect of the modern city versus Venice: the selfishness of travelers. The cars at crosswalks rarely stopped and honked vicariously at each other. And even the people walking seemed to swerve around stopped, and sometimes even moving, traffic. This interaction with humans and machines (cars, motorcycles, and crosswalk lights) highlights the modern struggle with alienation and disconnection from one another. Unlike the campos of Venice, everyone in Milan has their own agenda and dreams, often leading to isolation and a lack of personal connections. This is familiar to de Certeau, in "The Practice of Everyday Life," he describes the quickness of New York, a modern city similar to Milan: 

"Unlike Rome, New York has never learned the art of growing old by playing on all its pasts. Its present invents itself, from hour to hour, in the act of throwing away its previous accomplishments and challenging the future" (de Certeau 91). As the center of Italy's business world, Milan is continuously looking toward the future, begging for new ideas, new hits, and anything to stay relevant in the material industry. The modern world resonates with efficiency, from the transportation to the lifestyle, Milan represents this modern approach to living. 

Modern Milan balances a forward-looking perspective. By looking to the future people ignore the trash, graffiti, and construction. The streets are not clean, but the city's relentless pace and modernity challenges visitors to see the contemporary movement across space and time. 

To the right is a photo of the main shopping center in Milan. Near the Duomo, the streets are filled with tourists looking for a good deal.

The last topic to consider is Isola, the post-modern district of Milan. Isola, translated to "island", represents the future of architecture, society, and space. Moving through this area is quiet and can only be described as serene. Elevated from the traffic of busy workers and escaping their busy lives, the district of Isola is seven meters higher than the surrounding streets. This allows for a sense of individualism away from chaos and instead reflects no hum of cars or motorcycles. Instead, there is a constant flow of water from the fountains, adding a sound of contentness and distraction. There is more flow and less rigidity, unlike the chaos of Milan. 

Isola is surrounded by circles. Circular fountains and overlooking buildings have their own individualistic shape and features. Also unlike Milan, the buildings are not high-rising and untouchable, instead, they are warm and give the presence of inclusion. You are protected by the outside world. This island is safe, by the people, and for the people. Public gardens are incorporated everywhere, not sector off like in modern cities. The post-modern world brings back inclusion, safety, and most importantly: greenery. To be one with nature is to reconnect with oneself. The public gardens, bike paths, and wildflowers give a picture of warmth.

The most notable inclusion of nature and mankind are the two looming apartments, known as the Vertical Forest. To the right is a picture of the magnificent buildings, where trees and bushes envelop the building, connecting humans and liing space directly to nature and life. This interweaving prints the ideals of post-modern living.

Isola is calm and directly contrasts the fast-living pace of the rest of Milan. There is serenity and togetherness. Individualism is used to bring people together, rather than apart. 

Over the three weeks in Italy, we discussed the paradigm shift from medieval to modern to post-modern. Venice, Milan, and Isola all represent their own characteristics of different lives and the differences in the movement of spaces. Although each has its benefits, their contrasts showcase the change in time periods and priorities. Moving through the medieval town of Venice, there is a place for efficiency and rest, but Milan represents efficiency without rest, and Isola is the opposite. These cities are estimates of the paradigm shift and fully represent our course teachings.