September 18-30, 2027, €9,000

Join me on this photo tour to discover the true heart of Italy, the fabulous locations that inspired the Renaissance painters, a landscape of soft, verdant hills crowned by ancient walls and towers.

These are the places where the Italian civilization reached its highest peaks, where Giotto, Leonardo and Michelangelo were born, where Saint Francis preached, where Italian as a language developed. This is the heart of Italy, both geographically and culturally.

This tour is open to photographers of any skill level and carrying any time of equipment, from smartphones to full-fledged DSLR systems. My aim, during the entirety of the tour, will be to create the best conditions for you to get the images of Italy that you've been dreaming of. I love my country and all it has to offer, have been photographing it for decades and learned what it takes to make it really shine. Now it's your turn to capture your everlasting memories of Italy.

I am also passionate about the culture and history of Italy. Ask me about it and you might discover some historical facts that few people know about.

What Sets Us Apart

Itinerary

Most of the locations we will visit during this tour are contained within a relatively compact region. This will allow us to avoid excessively long transfers and to explore in depth areas that have an incredible wealth of disparate locations inside a peaceful countryside, dotted with farms, villages perched atop hills, and fascinating medieval cities, rich in culture and history.

Day 1: Florence

Our tour starts in Florence. Where we will stay one night in Florence in order to recover from the overseas trip. This first day does not include a tour of the city, but we will have a welcome dinner in a nice restaurant to get a first tasting of the delectable Tuscan specialties.

Days 2-3: The Chianti and Central Tuscany

The Chianti occupies the area between Florence and Siena that was made famous by its prestigious wines, the historical towns and the elegant villas. Among the locations we will visit, we can mention San Gimignano, with its forest of stone towers, Colle Val d'Elsa, Montiriggioni, still enclosed within its pristine medieval walls, Volterra, Certaldo, and more.

We'll base ourselves again in a resort in the countryside, close to all the locations we intend to photograph.

Days 4-7: Southern Tuscany

We'll make our base for the next three days in a lovely resort nestled amongst the cypress-dotted hills of southern Tuscany, in the vicinity of Siena. From here we'll take daily excursions on a private van to explore an area that few tours of Italy include in their itineraries, but that can be so incredibly quaint and beautiful.

The Val d'Orcia

Row after row of cypress trees ornate the roads and the hilltops of this region, for the most part characterized by a minimalist landscape that lends itself very well to creating stunning graphical compositions. The main towns in this area are San Quirico, Pienza, designed in the Renaissance as the model of the ideal city, and Montalcino, home to the best Italian red wines.  

Of course, we will have the opportunity to visit Siena, with the amazingly well-preserved Piazza del Campo, home to the famous Palio, and its huge gothic cathedral.

Other notable locations in the area include the abbeys of San Galgano and Monte Oliveto Maggiore, renowned for its 15th century frescoes, San Quirico, Pienza, Montalcino, Montepulciano, Sant’Antimo, Bagno Vignoni, Bagni San Filippo, Radicofani, Santa Fiora, Saturnia, Sorano, Pitigliano, Radicofani.

Days 7-9, Southern Umbria

Umbria is a small region deeply steeped in Italy's historical and religious roots. Assisi is of course world-renowned because of St. Francis and because of Giotto's frescoes in its Basilica, certainly one of the most impressive examples of medieval art in the whole world. But Umbria has so much more to offer, starting with Italy's greenest landscapes and some very well-preserved medieval towns.

During the first half of our tour of the region, we will base ourselves near Todi and use that as a base to explore its southern portion, with a possible excursion into Northern Lazio.

Notable locations include Orvieto, Todi, Norcia, Castelluccio, Spoleto, Montefalco, Spello, Bevagna, Rasiglia, Bolsena, Civita di Bagnoregio, 

Days 10-12: Northern Umbria and Eastern Tuscany

We will base ourselves around Perugia and use that as a base to explore the verdant northern side of Umbria, with a detour into eastern Tuscany.

Notable locations include Perugia, Assisi, Gubbio, Sansepolcro, Monterchi, Arezzo, Santuario della Verna, Cortona.

Day 13: Return to Florence

On the last day of our tour, after breakfast, we'll board our van, bound to Florence, where you will be able to catch a flight back home or to extend your stay in Italy, if you wish.

The Stays

With the exception of Florence, we will stay in nice resorts and agriturismos in the countryside. Most of them will have a swimming pool, so it will be possible to relax poolside during the hottest hours of the day. Some of them will also have a winery.

A list of all accommodations will be published shortly, so check back on this page for updates.

The Tour at a Glance

• The tour will be 13 days (12 nights) long, starting in Florence on September 18th and ending again in Florence on September 30th.
• The tour price is €9,000 per person based on double occupancy. Single-room accommodation is €1,500 (if available as single rooms are limited)
• All accommodations and meals are included.
• Transportation with a private van and a professional driver is included.
• The price of the tour includes a private cooking class and a private winery tour.
• You will be accompanied by a professional photographer for the whole duration of the tour.

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