Florence

Today we went to Firenze for the morning. We went to climb the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo which has an amazing view of the city.

Now only 2 more days until Steph gets here! Hopefully we will survive the Italian transportation strike Friday, I'll let you know.

Hike to Cortona

Today we went hiking from Castiglion Fiorentino (where we live) to Cortona. It was about a 6 hour hike over 4 mountains. The map we used was hand drawn from memory by one of the Italian instructors at the facility we are staying in. It was very interesting considering the map was not drawn to scale and some of the roads seemed to have been left off. The views were amazing and when we finally got to Cortona we had the best Italian pizza we have had during our stay. In my personal opinion, it still doesn't beat the pizza back home.

Villa Mirabella Restoration

Italy is a lot of fun but believe it or not we are working hard over here as well. Our project involves planning a restoration of Villa Mirabella in Gabbro, Italy, and also planning a new development of hotel/residences next to the restored Villa.

The Planning phase includes estimate packages for restoration and construction costs for the two projects. We are doing the estimate packages separate so when we present the proposal to the Commune of Gabbro, there will be a Villa restoration proposal and a new residence/hotel proposal. This allows the Commune to evaluate each project separately and choose whether they want to do strictly a restoration of the existing Villa, or if they want add the new development along with the restoration. This is really determined on the overall cost of each project and the economic advantage each project might have on the Commune of Gabbro. The forecasted impact that the restoration and new development has on the Commune is what the Auburn MBA students are here to accomplish. The Commune is excited about the idea of a new hotel/residence, but their main priority is the restoration of the Villa shown above.

As of right now we are wrapping up the restoration estimate which has been a challenge. Restoration is new to all of us so we are learning new things about restoration in Italy as we move forward. I actually think it is easier to plan a new construction project as opposed to planning a restoration. In planning the restoration, much detail is put into what needs to be demolished, structurally repaired, or even left alone. For example, on the ceiling of one of the rooms there is a painted fresco. We are not allowed to disturb this fresco while restoring the rest of the Villa. This is just one obstacle we must take into consideration when completing our estimate. Another obstacle is designing necessary temporary structures to hold up parts of the building that we must repair structurally.

Starting Monday we will begin our plan for the new residence/hotel. Each of us will take our design given to us by assigned Architects from Auburn, and start quantity takeoff and pricing to put into our new development estimate package. My individual project includes modern towers with a glass skin.

DG in Italy

Hey everyone,

I decided to start a blog to record my experience in Italy so I could share with everyone back home. I'll be posting pictures and writing comments on weekend trips, field trips, and updates regarding the restoration project.