Students and community members came together to promote an often-overlooked area of Perugia called Borgo Bello at the ESUS 310: Placemaking: Creating Sustainable Urban Spaces and Communities “Festa con Vista” on April 18. This “Festa con Vista” (Party with a View) included a visit from Mayor of Perugia Andrea Romizi and was a celebratory event of all the hard work our Umbra students had done over the past semester renovating a terrace with a beautiful view of the center of Perugia. Throughout the semester, students made playground equipment for local children, a weatherproof mini-library, and chairs and tables for all community members to enjoy.
“I’m really excited about the terrace because it’ll get more people of the community to be aware of it,” said Roanoke College junior and Placemaking student Tara O’Reilly. “We did everything from sanding tables to putting on a puppet show at the Festa. It’s a great way for the community to interact and get to know each other even more so than they already do.”