Itinerary

4 Days in Val d’Orcia – Tuscany, an unforgettable experience

Day 1 – Arrival in Val d’Orcia before 16.00
You’ll meet the group and us directly at the agriturismo in the heart of Val d’Orcia. Once everyone has arrived we will go for an early dinner, so we get to know each other a little. After dinner we go and take our first photographs of the rolling hills with a group of cypress trees.

Day 2 – Val d’Orcia (breakfast included)
We will get up before sunrise to photograph the podere Belvedere. This is one of the most photographed houses in Italy and for a good reason. We hope for some mist hanging between the hills to add more atmosphere.
After breakfast we can go through some of the photos we’ve taken and introduce you to Lightroom and post-processing. We will show you how to bring out the best of your photographs.
We can go to Pienza for lunch and have a stroll around this picturesque town. For those that want to know more about composition and how to use your camera for the best results, we will go though some of the theory that makes your photos even more appealing. After dinner we head to a little chapel flanked by cypress trees for our sunset shoot.

Day 3 – Val d’Orcia (breakfast included)
An early rise again to photograph a lane of cypress trees leading to a podere on top of a hill. After breakfast we show Lightroom and post-processing again with new photos. The afternoon is to relax until dinner and we head back to the location of our first evening. There are many possibilities there and every day is different.

Day 4 – Val d’Orcia end of the tour after 10.00 (breakfast included)
We’ll see where we go this morning. We might come back to one of the previous locations depending on how the weather and light was the other days, or we’ll go to a new location, there’s plenty to choose from.
After a last breakfast together, it’s already time to say goodbye.

What to expect

Explore this area of Tuscany where many filmmakers shoot scenes of their movies. Val d’Orcia is a place of incredible beauty! It is blessed with a harmony of forms, and even if the terrain has been cultivated for centuries, it has  preserved its natural magical feel.
You will see the wavelike forms of the hills, all cultivated with wheat, olive trees and vineyards. In spring you can find mist in the morning that hangs in the valleys, and poppies and canola add a touch of extra colour to the fields. Of course there are the legendary cypress trees that indicate the way to the ‘poderi’, the landhouses.
In addition to the beautiful landscapes, there are towns like Pienza, founded with the aim to be the ‘ideal city’, Montalcino, world famous for its wine, and Bagno Vignoni with its ancient thermal baths.

During this photography workshop in Tuscany we will photograph these rolling hills at sunrise and sunset. We will take you to the best locations in the right moment to allow you to capture these landscapes with the most beautiful light. We will help you to pay attention to the compositions so that the forms and shapes of this territory will be accentuated in your photographs.
There will also be time to introduce you to post processing using Adobe’s Lightroom CC. We will use some of the photos of each participant as an example to show what it is possible to do and how the photograph can make you relive the emotions you felt when you were there taking the photo.

We will stay in an ‘agriturismo’, a bed & breakfast on an operating farm. This way we will stay in the heart of the Val d’Orcia in the countryside. Breakfast is included, but we’ve decided not to include lunch and dinner, so everybody can decide for themselves what and how much to eat and drink. We will have early dinners, since sunset is around 20.30 and we want to make the most of the golden hour. There will be time to relax as well, to taste some wine, to walk through the little towns and enjoy the wonderful Tuscan life style.

What’s Included

– Accommodation in bed & breakfast (agriturismo)
– Breakfast
– Photographic tutoring and introduction to Lightroom

What’s Not Included

– Travel to and from Val d’Orcia
– Transportation in Val d’Orcia
– Lunch and Dinner
– Travel/medical insurance (compulsory)
– Cancellation insurance (strongly suggested)
– Drinks and alcoholic beverages
– Personal expenses
– Other not mentioned in ‘Included’

Even though transport during this tour is not included, we can put participants in contact with each other to see if they want to share transport.

Important Information

Travel/medical insurance for the duration of the tour is compulsory. Note that this insurance shall also cover repatriation. At the start of the tour you will be asked for a paper copy of your insurance, without which you will not be able to participate.

Lunch and dinner are excluded from the tour price. While we will eat together as a group, everyone can eat what they feel like. We have noticed this works better for most participants. We will usually opt for an early dinner, so we’ll be in time for our sunset shoots… and have plenty of time after the sun went down. Often the best colours appear after sunset.

What you need to bring

Photographic equipment

This workshop is fit for all levels of photography. You can bring any photo camera you wish, but to make the most of this tour we suggest a (D)SLR. If you already know how to set the various programs, we will then help you to use them for the best results.

The following list indicates a few suggestions, and give an idea what would be useful:

• DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) or mirrorless
• Lens 24-70mm
• Lens 70-200mm
• Tripod (a necessity for low light photography)
• Polarizing filter
• Extra battery
• Memory cards

Clothing

We recommend to dress in layers. Early mornings can be fresh, while during the day temperature can rise considerably.
We’re hoping for morning mist, which makes the fields wet. We tend to find the best compositions in the fields, so your trousers and shoes might get wet and muddy. Please take this into account when packing.

Cancellation Policy

The deposit of 50% is refundable until the minimum number of participants is reached. You will be notified when this is the case. Once the minimum number is reached, all accommodation is booked. In the case you cancel your tour more than 2 months before the start of the tour, we can refund 50%. From 2 months up to the departure of the tour, no refund can be made. For this reason we suggest you to get a cancellation insurance.