About the Center
Venice and Vicenza, with their unique history and identity as a global crossroads, provide an ideal setting for student and faculty research and collaboration on a set of challenges that are central to the mission of the School of Architecture.
Launched in fall 2025, the Mario di Valmarana Center for Studies in Venice and Vicenza builds upon the success of the last fifty years of study abroad programs in the region and enables the School of Architecture to expand educational and research opportunities in the area.
Over the past five decades, more than 1,200 students have participated by the Venice and Vicenza programs which were first established in 1975 by Professor Mario di Valmarana (1929-2010). The Valmarana Center, located within the former Vescovado (the Bishop’s Palace) in the center of Vicenza, establishes a long-term footprint in Italy to anchor these existing education abroad programs, while also forging new research partnerships and expanding student access to international learning opportunities.
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Director
William Sherman
Mario di Valmarana Professor, Architecture
An architect and educator, Bill Sherman examines dynamic cultural and environmental processes in architectural design, ranging in scale from human physiology to global energy flows. His work explores the intersection of these processes with the cultural frameworks that inform the design of buildings and cities, with a particular focus on emerging spaces for creative engagement and institutional transformation. He is currently the Director of the Mario di Valmarana Center for Studies in Venice and Vicenza.
In his former role of Associate Vice President for Research in Design, Arts and Humanities, Sherman founded OpenGrounds, a network of places and programs at UVA that inspire creative research at the confluence of technology, science, the arts and humanities. He designed both the spaces and programs of OpenGrounds to serve as catalysts for cross-disciplinary research collaborations and new institutional partnerships that inspire the conception, development and implementation of transformational ideas. He has lectured widely on the concept of OpenGrounds and served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Alliance for the Arts at Research Universities.
The First 50
In 1975, Professor Mario di Valmarana (1929-2010) established the University of Virginia's first official international study abroad program—The Vicenza Program at the School of Architecture. Four years later, he founded the Venice Program. Mario envisioned these study abroad programs as an "extension of the University in another realm," through which students could immerse themselves in the culture, art, and architecture of his native region of Italy, known as the Veneto.
Today the Vicenza Program continues to give over 20 students each year an opportunity to examine the area first-hand through both a contemporary and historical lens. Students focus on learning through observation and sketching during this five week summer program.
MORE ABOUT THE VICENZA PROGRAM.
The Venice Program is a semester-long course of study for approximately 15-20 students, with six weeks of exploration and research in Venice. The city itself is a laboratory for the study of urban life and culture, combining a rich, complex history with opportunities to examine future models for building and living at the intersection of land and sea.
The Next 50
The Valmarana Center is the University of Virginia’s first academic center abroad, with over 15,000 square feet of space consisting of classrooms, studios, meeting rooms, exhibition spaces and lodging for students and faculty. It is housed within a portion of the Vescovado (former Bishop’s Palace) which was originally constructed in the Middle Ages and has undergone continual architectural transformations. The current building, a 20th century reconstruction built after the original was destroyed during the Second World War, retains Palladian architectural elements.
The center anchors our existing programs in the region and serves as a foundation for new opportunities for learning and research. It will:
- increase student study abroad opportunities, by engaging faculty from across UVA and scholars from the Veneto
- provide long-term residencies for graduate and faculty research
- build upon 50 years of relationships with the region's historic sites, renowned academic institutions, and vibrant industries
- expand collaboration across the School of Architecture's disciplines to address global challenges
- offer engagement for alumni and extended networks