Publicity about the Institute of Design + Culture in Rome

October 13, 2002

Seeing Today’s Rome In Ruins of the Past

In contemplating the Villa Giulia or the Pantheon, do you long for something more than the cursory guidebook text or the routine tour-guide patter?

Two American residents of Rome, Laura Flusche, an art history professor, and Susan Sanders, an architect, are offering a closer look at the city through their organization, Urban Iconography. Their series of City Courses, led by one of the two women, have as an underlying theme finding the connection between the ancient world and our own.

For instance, one focuses on the city center, where an ancient aqueduct became the Trevi Fountain. Another takes visitors to three historical sites that became settings for Puccini ’s ‘’Tosca.’’

Or there is a description of the history of tourism in Rome, from the Piazza del Popolo, traditionally the pilgrim ’s gateway to Rome, to the 18th-century Grand Tour destinations of the European aristocracy, and finally to today ’s fashion mecca, the Via del Babuino.

‘’Our idea is not only to show visitors the sites of Rome,’’ Dr. Flusche says, ‘’but to give them a chance to explore how Rome’s past has shaped the present.’

BY CAROLINE SEEBOHM

Going to Rome, but you've already seen the Colosseum? If you've already climbed the Spanish Steps and have thrown your coin in the Trevi Fountain, you'll be interested in the Institute of Design and Culture. Operated by an expatriate Texan named Laura Flusche, she offers tours with an artsy edge.

A half-day tour spotlights the sites in Dan Brown's best seller, Angels and Demons - the Parthenon, the Chigi Chapel in Santa Maria del Popolo, Piazza San Pietro, Bernini's Ecstasy of St Teresa in Santa Maria della Vittoria and the Fountain of the Four Rivers in Piazza Navona. ("The book's a mess, but the sites are wonderful," says Dr. Flusche.)

You can also choose a tour of sites in Puccini's operas or the locations in Henry James' novels. You can find out Rome's hippest streets and climb down the layers of history under the city's oldest churches.

Ever wonder exactly how they built the Colosseum? Or what Caesar and Prada have in common? Then you should check out the IDC's "Rome-ancing the Stones" or "Lives of the Rich and Famous."

Dr. Flusche, who has degrees in Italian Renaissance art as well as ancient Roman art and archeology, makes an erudite and jovial guide. She and her partner, architect Susan Sanders, also have assembled a cadre of academic specialists in art and architecture living in Rome who can tailor-make tours for visitors with special interests.

Recent clients have included Nobel Prize winner V.S. Naipaul and Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl.

"We teach people who want to have an experience beyond tourism," says Dr. Flusche, who also teaches art history at the University of Dallas' Rome campus and for DePaul University classes. She tries in all her presentations to show how the art and architecture of the past have shaped the present world. "The past matters," she explains, “and there's no better place to learn from the past than Rome."

BY RENA PEDERSON

postcards from rome

The Institute of Design & Culture is the brainchild of architect Susan Sanders and her partner, art historian Laura Flusche. They created this educational non-profit with the idea of elevating the humble walking tour into college-level coursework, using Rome as the classroom.

It is as expensive as a college seminar too: a full day with Sanders cost $450. (It is more affordable if you are splitting costs as a private group--the maximum size is six.) When I look back on it, though, I consider it money well spent. It wasn’t just college-level education--it was a jovial, entertaining expert at my disposal. Sanders showed how ancient Rome shaped Renaissance Rome, and how both manifest on the streets today. I would have loved the city anyway, but the day I spent with Sanders left me feeling like I ’d gained some intimate insights into the spirit of the place.

By Chris Welsch

Star Tribune Travel Editor

For photos & full story:

www.startribune.com/travel

ROMAN INQUISITION

What do Prada and Julius Caesar have in common? How have Gucci and Moschino shaped Rome’s hippest streets? Art historian Laura Flusche and architect Susan Sanders have created a company called Urban Iconography: The Institute of Design & Culture, which explores these and other historical and contemporary issues in guided walks around Rome. Among the greatest hits: “The Not-So-Rough Guide to Rome,” which looks at the culture of shopping and tourism, from chic Via del Babuino to the Spanish Steps; “ Tosca Tumble,” a whirl around sites from Puccini’s opera; “Rome-ancing the Stones,” which examines the effects of the Forum and the Colosseum on today’s city. Also in demand are made-to-measure itineraries, requested by the likes of Nobel Prize –winning writer V.S. Naipual. So what do Caesar and Prada have in common? “They both rule by design,” Sanders says.

NERO TO YOUR HEART

Rome wasn’t built in a day. But you can explore its rich history in one. Two Americans in Rome, an art history professor and an architect, offer in-depth city courses in the Eternal City that focus on the links between Rome ’s past and present. These Urban Iconography Courses tackle topics such as opera, architecture, art, and history. One even deals with the history of Roman tourism, culminating near the Spanish Steps.

FONTS OF WISDOM

The city comes alive when seen through the inquiring eyes of archaeologist Laura Flusche and architect Susan Sanders. Their company, Urban Iconography, offers preset walks (“Tosca Tumble”) and itineraries designed just for you.

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940-202-4700

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