Pizza in Piazza

Letter from Italy

Betty Torrell, a NIAUSI Fellow in residency in Civita during this past summer, writes about an extraordinary evening in Civita - a gathering of people, shared memories, shared pizza - all in and around the piazza, of course.

To read Betty's article and see her images from that evening, click here.

Clair Enlow, a 2009 NIAUSI Fellow, wrote to us as she was nearing the end of her Summer/Fall residency - with thoughts on Civita past, present and future. With her letter, Clair begins what we hope will become a regular feature here - brief letters from Fellows and NIAUSI friends in Italy, with impressions and experiences from that remarkable place.

For Clair's letter, click here.

NIAUSI 2010 Fellowships

Application Process Now Open

Applications for the 2010 NIAUSI Fellowship Program are now available.

Located at NIAUSI's Civita Institute in the ancient hilltown of Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy, the Fellowship Program provides residencies of one or two months for design professionals who are residents of Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and the Province of British Columbia.

For more than twenty-five years, NIAUSI has been offering this unique opportunity for professional enrichment. In 2010, the residency period will be between March 15 and December 15. The deadline for applications is January 11, 2010. For more information, please visit our website. Applications may be submitted online or by hard copy.

Civita Facilities Update

Thanks to the generous support of NIAUSI members, work continues on a variety of NIAUSI facilities projects in Civita di Bagnoregio, Italy. Beginning this month and continuing through 2010, NIAUSI will be engaging its members in a major campaign to renovate the renaissance-era "Sala Grande", which will form the main communal library and gathering space for NIAUSI's programs in Civita.

The first phase of this work - cleaning, repainting/refinishing the centuries-old plaster walls and chestnut ceilings - will begin this month. Stay tuned for more information on this work, including ways you can be involved in this important restoration project.

Save the Date!

February 5, 2010

NIAUSI's next gathering of members, friends and Fellows will be Friday evening, February 5, 2010, at NBBJ (223 Yale Avenue North, Seattle 98109 - Directions). We will provide more information on this event on our web site and in an upcoming special email announcement - but there will be antipasti, wine and stimulating presentations by three of our Fellows, reporting on their Italian journeys:

Dan Corson (NIAUSI Fellow 2006) Seattle-based artist, will share images, impressions and stories from some of the interesting subterranean spaces he has explored and documented while in Civita.

Clair Enlow (NIAUSI Fellow 2009), Seattle-based writer on architecture and design issues, will present observations on how Italians integrate modern development with historic surroundings in her talk "Getting Things Built in Italy: The Politics of Control and Opportunity."

Betty Torrell (NIAUSI Fellow 2009), Seattle architect, will provide selected images and impressions based on her research project "Hearth as Home" - a comprehensive analysis of over 50 historic fireplaces and cooking spaces in Civita di Bagnoregio.