General Information
Photo tour in Tuscany, Italy, guided in french and english by Patrick Dieudonne, professional photographer. Expephoto is responsible for hotels bookings, etc.
PRICE: 2090 € - without flight (we can help in the booking of your flight)
Single supplement 250-300 EUR approx.
Bookings : please visit this page (Expephoto)
Program: (may be adapted according to weather or local circumstances)
Day 1 (Sunday) : Arrival in Pisa, then transfer to Florence (70 km), the capital of Tuscany and a jewel of the Renaissance. Meet and greet, then check into our hotel in or near Florence. Evening tour and photography of the Medici city center (Ponte Vecchio, Piazza della Signoria, Palazzo Vecchio). – Overnight stay in Florence – Dinner: restaurant
Ponte Vecchio at night, Florence
Day 2 : Morning session and tour of Florence (main viewpoints overlooking the city and some remarkable monuments such as the Duomo Santa Maria del Fiore, the Boboli Gardens, and many others). In the afternoon, visit the Chianti region, located between Florence and Siena, which offers beautiful views of wooded hills, charming fortified villages, and vineyards. Arrival in Colle di Val d’Elsa, a medieval town where we will spend the night. Opportunities for evening photo shoots in the town and near the ramparts.– Overnight stay in a hotel – Colle di Val d’Elsa – Lunch en route (picnic or restaurant) - Dinner: restaurant.
Fortified villa, Chianti
Day 3 : Visit to San Gimignano, nicknamed the “Manhattan of the Middle Ages.” Each family sought to demonstrate its supremacy by building the tallest tower. We will take photos from the surrounding countryside and within the town itself. The afternoon will be dedicated to Volterra, with its rich pre-Roman heritage (Etruscan city), situated in a striking setting of collapsed clay hills that both surround and threaten it (balzes).
Near Volterra
Day 4 :Drive south towards Siena and beyond. South of Siena lies the Crete Senesi region (the word Crete means: bare clay hills). The vistas are endless, the hills rolling as far as the eye can see, dotted here and there with farms and villas bordered by cypress trees. A magnificent monastery, the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Olivetto Maggiore, stands in an impressive setting, housing a treasure trove of Renaissance frescoes by Il Sodoma and Luca Signorelli, illustrating scenes from the Life of Saint Benedict—one of the finest examples of Italian Quattrocento art. Return to Siena in the evening for photos of this superb rival of Florence. This city has remained remarkably faithful to what it was in its heyday. From the Piazza del Campo, one of the most beautiful squares in the world, to the cathedral, nothing has changed, not even the Duomo (cathedral), left unfinished after the Black Death due to a lack of manpower and funds. Overnight in a hotel – Siena – Lunch en route (picnic or restaurant) – Dinner: restaurant.
Duomo of Siena
Day 5 : We cross the Crete Senesi again, heading towards the scenic, if not historical, heart of Tuscany, the Val d’Orcia, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Several remarkable landscapes here have become true photographic icons. We will wait for the best light in these places, but we will also discover many other hidden treasures in the surrounding area. Once again, towns and countryside echo and complement each other. We will explore the countryside in every direction thanks to a fairly dense network of small tracks that offer all the desired perspectives, early in the morning and in the evening, and visit the towns the rest of the time. Among these remarkable small towns is Pienza, an "ideal" Renaissance town, created from scratch by Pope Pius II in the 16th century. Several villages and abbeys in the region will also capture our attention.
– Overnight stay in a hotel or agriturismo – Montepulciano, Montalcino, or San Quirico – Lunch en route (picnic or restaurant) – Dinner: restaurant
Chapel in Val d'Orcia
Day 6 : Second day of photography in the Val d'Orcia, with visits to several of the locations mentioned above. The focus will be on landscape photography at the beginning and end of the day, to best reveal the contours and perspectives of these exceptional Tuscan landscapes, and on architectural photography at other times, or at night. We will also take the time to analyze and critique the images taken, with technical advice and tips on post-processing on a computer. – Overnight stay in a hotel or agriturismo – Montepulciano / Montalcino / San Quirico – Lunch: restaurant – Dinner: restaurant
Val d'Orcia
Day 7 (Saturday) : Val d’Orcia in the early morning, another opportunity to capture the low-angled light that truly enhances these landscapes. Then drive to Pisa for your return flight in the early afternoon. – Lunch not included.
Near San Quirico in Spring
>> Back to previous page
|
|
What is included:
• Land transport
• Full board
• Accommodation in *** or **** hotels
• Pro Photographer
• Technical advice
What is not included:
• Travel, cancellation and luggage insurances
• Photo Equipement
• Alcoholic beverages and personal purchases.
Photo Equipment
• SLR digital or film
• Stable tripod, ballhead, etc.
• Lenses for landscape photography and architecture, wide-angle (below 24 mm), medium zoom 24 or 28-70 mm, medium telephoto zoom lens (70-200). A longer focal length can sometimes be useful for details in vast landscapes (300/400 mm).
Monte Olivetto Maggiore, Christ by Il Sodoma
Fitness
Easy walks, most sites will be reached by car.
Weather / clothing
In the beginning of May the weather is generally sunny. It can be already a little hot in the middle of the day. So bring light clothes mainly, but also additional layers as we photograph often at early morning and late evening. In October the weather is still very mild and we can have very good weather, but it can also be a bit cloudy, rain is sometimes possible (but forms nice mists the following morning in the valleys).
Accommodation and food:
Accommodation is of very good standard (three or four stars hotels), single or double rooms with private bathrooms. Breakfast is included. Lunch will be in restaurants and pizzerias, occasionally a picnic, depending of the place we explore. Dinner will be at the hotels or restaurants. Italian food is excellent.
Vehicles:
Depending on group size, we use a station wagon or a van seating 9 persons.
Bookings
For bookings, please visit our travel agency website : expephoto.com
Pienza, ville idéale
Any other questions?
Please contact us using the form above or call if you need further information.
Contact
Patrick Dieudonné
Pro Photographer
Tour leader
Owner of ExpePhoto travel agency (IM055240001)
9 rue de Sampigny
55300 Han sur Meuse
FRANCE
Phone: + 33 (0)3 29 92 08 89
Mobile: +33 (0)6 79 63 27 25
We speak French and English.
Florence, bell tower
Documents, texts and photos © Patrick Dieudonne 2019.
|
Your shopping cart is empty
