W16’ÊM
Vol.4 World16 Summer Workshop
tour report in Italy
July 25 ~28, 2011
The 4th International VR Symposium   Summer workshop which was held in Italy Toscana district considering it as a historical town Pisa. This W16 communication reports about town walking in Pisa, Lucca, and Firenze which W16 members traveled between the workshops and the tour in Venice where the closing workshop was held.
1:The hotel of stay in Pisa
Group photo in the lobby of "Grand Duomo."

Professor Fiamma grown-up in Pisa navigated the town walk. 

It was the Pisa university which was the main hall of the workshop and Professor Paolo Fiamma belongs to. It is one of the old universities in Italy which it was established in the first half of the 14th century, and Galileo Galilei, the astronomer and physical scientist, also studied. W16 member took a walk the city area by navigation of the professor who was born and grew up and is well familiar with the town. 
Moreover, famous "leaning tower of Pisa" which is in one corner of the duomo which is world heritage is located in the neighborhood of a university, and all of the participated members tried to climbing leaning tower after finishing the workshop on the 1st day. Although many teachers who saw the leaning tower for the first time said, "It was small than I expected.",it was so tough to climb actually than expected. Inclination of 5 degrees of leaning tower was quite a thing in physical feeling, and it was a hard work to climb without any handrail. From the summit of leaning tower, the beautiful scene which overlooks the rows of houses of historical town Pisa was seen against the background of the ground in Toscana and the ridge line of a steep mountain range. 

2¥3:Tried climbing leaning tower climbing. The leaning tower


A walk and dinner party of the rampart city near Pisa, and the city of Lucca.

In the evening of the 2nd days which finished all the announcements, they made a short trip from Pisa to Lucca with a population of 80,000 by bus and also had a dinner there. Historical rows of houses are remained in the Lucca old city surrounded by the rampart built from the 16th century to the 17th century, and especially, duomo (cathedral) of a Romanesque style, the Sun Michele Inn follow church (7), anfiteatro piazza built in the Amphitheatre trace of the time of the Roman Empire are famous. Lucca is a hometown of the author of "Pinocchio" and also the birthplace of composer Giacomo Puccini known for works, such as "Tosca." Puccini's birthplace is a museum now, and the members participated in the dinner party at the restaurant which is associated to Puccini and adjacent to the museum after taking a walk the old city. (9)

4:Participated in the bus tour of the city area. The photo is taken by professor Fiamma. 5¥6:They had aperitif and dinner which Professor Fiamma who was born in Pisa arranged.
The raw pasta of a form like leaves is a style peculiar to Pisa.

7:Professor Swarts always carried iPad during his stay, recorded the animation and the photograph on that spot and enjoyed sharing them with the members. In addition, Professor Kostas and Professor Novak were also making full use of devices, such as a high speed camera.
8¥9:They visited a small town Lucca near Pisa by bus. The building of a photograph is theSan Michele in Foro church.

It is a research about this Lucca that Professor Fiamma announced in this workshop. In Lucca, the city project which will aim at construction of various new institutions, such as a technical center, a bus terminal, an art museum, a conference hall, and a market, by 2015 is progressing. "Since it is thought that a plan has the big influence in the style of traffic because it's a compact town, the traffic flow simulation using the data collected at VR model created by UC-win/Road and the spot is tackled." (by Professor Fiamma)


There is a festival Biennale of art in capital of water Venice.

On the 3rd day, they left Pisa by bus and moved to Venice where a closing workshop is held through the plain of the Toscana district dropping in at Firenze (10, 11) on their way. They changed to the water taxi, got into the canal like a maze and went to the hotel which is located at the back of  Piazza San Marco.(12¥13)

10¥11:Dinner party at a restaurant. The commemorative photo is taken with surrounding the statue of Puccini who is  the opera composer associated with Lucca.

12:Since they were involved in traffic congestion, they stayed in Firenze only for several hours, butthey made a quick state visit the famous Duomo, city hall and Ponte Vecchio, etc.
13:They arrived in Venice with the water taxi in a rain.

It seemed that other members were interested in his advice of Professor Novak who announces a novel idea in the field of media art each time.Professor Marcos Novak(University of California, SB) is the very advanced of Venice who has visited there more than 20 times. He especially recommends each hall of the art festival "La Biennale di Venezia" and 2 art museums for modern art which Mr. Tadao Ando involved with the construction, "Palazzo Grassi" and "Punta della Dogana". On All Day Tour of the final day, Professor Fumio Seki (Nihon University) and Forum 8 staff walked the town together with the navigation of Associate Professor Tomohiro Fukuda (Osaka University) who visited Venice also in the series of our journal "blog of a city and construction."(14~16) They enjoyed the atmosphere of the capital of water appreciating an art museum Professor Novak recommended (above-mentioned), famous Ponte di Rialto over Canal Grande, etc.

14:Piazza San Marco crowded with the people who visited on vacation. 15:The typical spectacle of Venice where waterway traffic is prosperous for many years  

16:Sculpture which stands outside of the Punta della Dogana art museum Professor Novak recommended. 17:Associate Professor Fukuda who moves by delivery of gondola
<No.93. 2011 late fall issue>
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