Hello everyone 
In recent Guild presentations I have promised I would present some topics that I think may be useful when thinking about the improvement work in CN (and later LA).
So first of all what is this Tuscan style thing that appears in the LA covenant? (CN covenant is more general... but CN is next to LA!)
It is not an architecture style proper. I don't know what it is, so I went to have a look and found this article in the Spruce. (I like the house that you see in the photo 
)
That out of the way, some comments:
I went and researched photos, first of all, and that is a very good idea to start any architecture project. I'll share some ideas on how to do a search for these images lower down.
In a very technical way, what I have observed in the photos I have seen is the expression of the vernacular architecture in Tuscany.
Vernacular architecture is the architecture we see varying from region to region. It uses local materials and traditional building techniques, adapts to the climate of the place and it is framed by the culture of the place. A vernacular building is often the result of many epochs of construction and further intervention; generally the interventions are functional, modifying the building so it responds better to the needs of the people who occupy it.
Scholarly architecture, on the other hand, is based on formal design principles and models -- for example, treatises of architecture. Scholarly architecture is done generally by people who have had a formal training. Scholarly architecture's purpose is to respond accurately to the ideal formulations of the period and its culture. It generates buildings that we easily classify in a stylistic manner: baroque, neo-gothic, art déco, and so on.
Obviously, due to cultural dissemination, social processes, etc, eventually elements of scholarly architecture can be incorporated in the vernacular results.
But in short, vernacular architecture is all about tradition and local context, while scholarly architecture is based on formal design principles that can be communicated through training.
Now, as you all know, I am from a country in Southern Europe, and one thing which always strikes me about our vernacular architecture is the proportions on the openings (more on that below), and the game of mass and void on the façades.
I am looking at these images from Tuscany, and while of course a lot of elements in common (funnily enough, those listed on the Spruce article ), what is calling my attention is the vertical expression of this architecture.
I think the following pic is a very good example.
It is a pic from the communication of a project by MIDE architetti:
The project is the complete rehabilitation of a 19th c. casale, or rural house, near Lucca in Italy. The casale is the structure that you see on the background.
On the foreground, we can see a building meant to support the swimming-pool and it has a contemporary expression.
The difference between the two is very striking: the contemporary building favours a horizontal expression, and the casale favours a vertical expression. This perception is being caused by the openings on the two buildings.
The single-floored white building has one very large opening that occupies its whole width: it is then much wider than it is tall.
The façade of the casale is the opposite: it has a somewhat narrow rhythm caused by the repeat of openings that are taller than they are wide. In fact, both voids (the openings) and mass (the panes of wall between the openings) have proportions that accentuate the vertical expression. The difference in materials in the façade also contributes to that. Check this elevation:
Now, I went and had a look at Lucca, considering that this project is near it, and I found this great pic!
You will see that vertical expression showing again and again in the traditional buildings there.
And if you want to see that even better, use Google Maps and place yourself inside that oval plaza (which, btw, follows the footprint of the previous Roman amphitheater there!)
I'll do another post on the proportions derived from the square which will be useful for the openings -- this one is long enough already!
But just about searches for photos: it is a good idea to search in Italian.
I have been getting really interesting results using these strings:
architettura toscana rustica
architettura toscana storica
villaggio di pescatori in toscana
Or search for other terms. Just because I can't resist , here's a very nice pic of the waterfront of Varenna, a town on Lake Como in Lombardy:
(You can see that the materials and colours change, but the vertical expression keeps, btw).
And a really good idea too is to use Google Maps or Google Earth: choose a place like I did for Lucca and set yourself in it, then walk a bit and look around. If you find one building which is interesting, look at it from several angles, and see how the building fits in its environs, how it looks from far away, how it looks up close... have fun
