Nestled snuggly between Renaissance-designed buildings and overlooked by the Basilica of San Lorenzo in the middle of Florence, Italy, the San Lorenzo market at first glance is a throwback to the days of old European markets. However, one student found that this scene can be deceiving.
Caroline Chamblee, a junior in graphic design and a Park Scholar, worked in conjunction with Anne Schiller, a professor of sociology and anthropology, as part of Schiller’s ongoing research of Italian marketplaces.
Chamblee, using her background in design, set out to create a visualization of the market’s 200 stalls, mapping and identifying trends in advertising and sales.
The market, she said, is moving away from its traditionally local atmosphere and is becoming more and more a destination for tourists.
“People coming in from other places see it as a genuine Italian experience — as a way to experience ‘real Italy,'” Chamblee said.
Merchants see tourists as a burgeoning and potentially lucrative market to be tapped, she said. Guided by this train of thought, Chamblee spent four weeks early this summer studying abroad and making daily trips to the market to observe vendors and survey their clientele.
The experience allowed Chamblee to experience Italy in a different way than others who studied there.
“I sort of became a regular when the vendors started recognizing and talking to me. I became less of a tourist,” Chamblee said.
The language barrier did provide difficulties, she said.
Such as the times when vendors would get annoyed with her bothering their potential customers. Chamblee said one group became concerned enough that a group of men “straight from the mafia” sat her down to get a better idea on what exactly she was doing.
“That was a little scary, but generally the biggest problem I had was trying to answer people’s questions,” she said. “My answers would come out in Spanish and create even more confusion.”
Chamblee will present her findings Saturday as part of the third annual State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research and Creativity Symposium to be held at UNC-Greensboro.
The symposium was created as a showcase for undergraduate research for students from all 53 colleges and universities and the 58 community colleges in North Carolina, according to this year’s conference coordinator, Adrienne Middlebrooks.
“The symposium provides a great place to showcase yourself and your research to the public,” Middlebrooks, research programs administrator at UNC-G, said.
This year the conference features 223 presenters. Chamblee will represent N.C. State, along with 22 other undergraduates.
In the future, Chamblee said she is interested in combining her graphic design background with other areas of study, much as she did with her current research.
“I’m really interested in business,” she said. “Interdisciplinary studies and the incorporation of graphic design is something I’d really like to pursue.”
