Architecture and historic preservation, sustainability and environmental stewardship, agricultural heritage and cultural exchange are all linked - and The Civita Institute was founded to explore these connections in the Italian hill towns.

IN GRATITUDE

The Civita Institute was founded in Seattle, Washington as a 501.c.3 nonprofit corporation in 1981-82 under the name of the Northwest Institute for Architecture and Urban Studies in Italy also known as NIAUSI. Its primary founder was the late architect and professor Astra Zarina. For Astra, who also became the primary donor of our facilities in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, along with her late husband Anthony Costa Heywood, we work every day as volunteers to realize Astra's vision for The Civita Institute, caring for its buildings and grounds, and promoting its Mission internationally.

The Civita Institute Mission was crafted in 2007 by the late architect and Professor Astra Zarina, Anthony Costa Heywood, and the Board of Directors. It defined the intended use of the then-pending Zarina-Heywood donation of buildings, land, furnishings, and archives to The Civita Institute. In 2013, that donation was fully completed. 

 

The Civita Institute provides Fellowships, Educational Programs, and houses its Archive Collections in the historic facilities of The Civita Institute in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy. Located about 90 miles north of Rome, the facilities provide non-profit arts-focused studio space plus teaching and educational spaces for program participants. Use of the facilities is for Members only in which varying levels of Membership afford varying levels of use. This remarkable setting is a unique base for exploration of the ancient yet contemporary experience found in dozens of neighboring hill towns, cities, and cultural sites between Rome and Florence, Tarquinia and L'Aquila.

We value working with individuals, cultural groups, local businesses, and partnering with the American Institute of Architects, American Society of Landscape Architects, Croce Rossa Italiana Bagnoregio, the Seattle Perugia Sister City Association, and the Comune di Bagnoregio as we provide myriad opportunities for exploration of The Civita Institute and its Mission.