Strabo Photo Tour Collection

Italy: Photographic Tour to Florence and Tuscany with Nancy Rotenberg & Jeremy Woodhouse

Copyright Jeremy Woodhouse

This departure is limited to a maximum of fourteen participants. It is intended for people of all levels of interest and accomplishment in film, or digital photography. While the emphasis will be on photography, this is also a cultural journey, which we believe will enhance your ability to capture the essence of Tuscany in your images. Along with the local guides, Jeremy and Nancy will take you to photo locations you could not access on your own, including monasteries, churches, and vineyards. In Florence, there will be quiet, pre-dawn photo walks led by Jeremy and Nancy. They will take you to premier photographic locations to capture the Ponte Vecchio, the Uffizi Corridor, and the Duomo. While we have specific itineraries, we have the flexibility to take advantage of photographic opportunities we find along the way.

Tuscany has perhaps produced more accomplishments in art and science than any other place in history. It is the birthplace of the Etruscan civilization, the Italian language, and the age that shaped modern history, the Renaissance. Imagine a small region that can claim Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Galileo, Dante, and Botticelli as its native sons! The first part of our trip will center on Florence, the capital of Tuscany, the city where the Renaissance began. It is a living museum of art and culture. We will explore its streets, piazzas, and great works of art and architecture in the company of excellent guides.

A short drive from Florence transports us into the beautiful Tuscan countryside. We will spend our days in two different areas of Tuscany, on being in Rocca d’Orcia, a small village on the side of a hill overlooking the Tuscan landscape. We will be among the best-preserved landscapes in Italy, some virtually unchanged since artists depicted them five hundred years ago. The region has large areas of woodlands, interspersed with vineyards and dotted with medieval towns high on hills and ridges. The quality of light here has inspired generations of artists. Our journey will explore this glorious land in depth. Everywhere there is something of compelling beauty, curiosity, and interest — brilliant architecture, classic Tuscan landscapes, the daily life of the people themselves, providing continuity between past and present.

We always welcome tour companions who are not photographers. There are interesting aspects of Italian life waiting to be explored in every location. In Florence, the countless museums, churches, markets, restaurants, and stores within walking distance of the hotel, make the city a desirable destination for any traveler. The quaint Tuscan villages offer wonderful landscapes, local markets, piazzas, and small shops to be enjoyed by all who might like to sketch, write, or simply appreciate the culture of Italy. The trip’s leisurely pace will provide ample opportunity to wander through medieval hill towns, and feast on the renowned regional foods and wines.

Itinerary

October 14: USA

Copyright Jeremy Woodhouse

We depart on our overnight flights to Florence. Train via Pisa, Rome, Milan, and other cities can also reach Florence easily. The group tour will begin tomorrow evening at the Torre Guelfa Hotel.

October 15 - October 16: The Magic of Florence

We will meet today at the Torre Guelfa Hotel for an orientation and Welcome Reception, providing our first taste of Florence’s exceptional food and wine. Overlooking the city, the hotel terrace sits atop a medieval tower. Afterwards, if you wish to explore, there are restaurants and snack bars nearby. Overnight Torre Guelfa (Evening Welcome Reception)


The next day will be spent exploring Florence. Prior to breakfast, a sunrise walk may be planned for those who want to walk through the deserted streets to photograph the city before it awakens.

Being in the heart of Florence, our hotel affords us a perfect location so that excursions can be done easily on foot. The famous Ponte Vecchio, the most popular and oldest bridge that spans the Arno River, is within fifty yards. We will take some time to photograph Florence’s Duomo, a magnificent cathedral whose massive dome was designed by Brunelleschi. The cathedral offers endless facets and details to explore. Florence’s town square, the Piazza della Signoria, has been the heart of political life since the fourteenth century. The spacious Piazza and adjacent Loggia dei Lanzi contain numerous sculptures that hold an important place in Florentine art. Among them are the Bartolomeo Ammannati’s Fountain of Neptune that commemorates Tuscan naval victories, and Cellini’s Perseus. The Piazza also is home to the Palazzo Vecchio (Old Palace), built in the thirteenth century, and the Uffizi Gallery, where many of the world’s great art treasures are housed.

You may also wish to photograph the sunset from the hotel tower terrace or the streetlights lining the bridges across the Arno. We will have lunch at one of the many restaurants, trattorias, or bars in the area. In the evening, you can go to a restaurant with the group, or go out on your own. Overnight Torre Guelfa(Breakfast)

October 17 - October 22: Tuscan Countryside

The next two evenings will be spent at the Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo, located in the heart of Chianti, twenty-one miles south of Florence. The contrast between the city and the Tuscan countryside is striking. The narrow city streets are replaced with vineyards, woods, and rolling hills. The borders of the Chianti region are almost exactly those that were established in 1716 by the Grand Duke of Tuscany. For the first time in history, the boundaries of the Chianti wine production zone were limited by the Grand Duke’s edict. Today, more than sixty percent of Chianti remains forested, as there are strict limits on how much land can be cultivated.

Villa Rosa is situated at the base of a hill. The front looks out across the road to a forested hill and the back opens up to a hillside covered with vineyards, stone farmhouses, and olive groves. The hamlet of Monterenaldi is nearby on a quiet country road that winds through vineyards and farms. The area around Villa Rosa offers exceptional photographic opportunities of the Tuscan landscape.

From the Villa Rosa we will move farther south, to Rocca d’Orcia, where we will spend the next four evenings. Day trips allow us to visit a number of Tuscany’s most picturesque towns. Your photo leaders will plan each day according to the weather, interests of the group, and special events in this beautiful region. We won’t be able to visit each town, but will take time to appreciate those that we do.

In Siena, the twelfth century Piazza del Campo’s unusual shell shape sets it apart from other plazas, while the Cathedral is described as one of Italy’s most brilliant works of art. Pienza, a beautiful hill town that has a picturesque central plaza and was built according to architectural plans that later were used in building some of Italy’s most beautiful and famous structures. The narrow streets are lined with specialty stores, as Pienza is known for its Peccorino cheeses. About an hour away from Villa Rosa is San Gimignano, one of the most picturesque of the Italian hill towns. It is known as the “city of the beautiful towers”. Fourteen of the seventy original towers remain, giving the town a striking appearance.

The town of Montalcino is known for the Brunello grapes that grow on its slopes and the fortress that sits atop the town. Visits to other villages, such as Montichiello, and Montepulciano, will be interspersed with early morning and late afternoon excursions to photograph the pastoral landscape that has made this region so well known amongst painters and photographers. The countryside we will be visiting boasts some of the most picturesque landscapes, and medieval villages, and we will take full advantage of these offerings for our photographic explorations.

Radda in Chianti is a small village set high on a hill that retains its medieval town plan. Seven kilometers north we come across Volpaia, one of Chianti’s most beautiful fortified villages. Volpaia was built out of honey-colored stone and boasts a castle from the tenth century. Montefioralle is a fourteenth century hamlet, perched on a ridge that overlooks the town of Greve in Chianti. We may have time to walk the circular main street and the enticing alleyways, where you may see a few electric cables, reminding us that we are still in the twenty first century. A bit further south is Castellina in Chianti, a charming town, featuring a tunnel street that served as a soldiers’ walk back in the days when the town was a Florentine bastion. Another destination is Monteriggioni, one of the most perfectly preserved fortified villages in all of Italy. Dante mentioned its vantage points in the Inferno, as the circle of Titans guarding the lowest level of Hell.

Excursions will be based on the weather and light, with time midday to take breaks, refreshment, and learn more about photography. Jeremy and Nancy look forward to these midday and some after dinner hours to give lectures, critiques and discuss their photographic passion. Two overnights Villa Rosa (breakfast and dinner) and San Simeone, (breakfast daily, two dinners)

October 23: Florence

Copyright Jeremy Woodhouse

After breakfast this morning we will drive back to Florence. We will have photo stops along the way, arriving in Florence in the afternoon, with time to return to a few favorite photo locations. Overnight Torre Guelfa (breakfast)

October 24: Florence - USA

After breakfast you can enjoy more time in Florence on your own, and return to the airport in time for flights home.

Accommodations

The accommodations we have chosen combine simple elegance with excellent location. In Florence, we will stay at the Torre Guelfa Hotel, one of the city’s best-kept secrets. This small, family-run hotel is in an ideal location, just a block from the Arno River and the Ponte Vecchio. The hotel offers us a special treat, from which it takes its name; it contains the tallest privately owned tower (torre) in Florence. It is worth the climb to the tower’s terrace to enjoy the stunning panorama of the city. This is a feature that we will take advantage of, especially at sunset. In the Tuscan countryside, we will stay at the Torre Guelfa’s sister hotel, the Villa Rosa di Boscorotondo, a meticulously restored country villa. Situated in the famous Chianti region, Villa Rosa is set among rolling hills that are dotted with vineyards, forests, olive groves, quaint villages, and stone farmhouses. It provides an absolutely perfect location for country walks and day trips to Tuscan hill towns and villages. We will have a light breakfast before departing for the day and return to a traditional Tuscan meal in the evening. We then move further south in Tuscany, staying in Rocca d’Orcia, a small village on the side of a hill overlooking the Tuscan landscape.

Guides

Please contact us for more details.

Food & Drink

Lunches will be informal, taken in one of the many shops that sell delicious sandwiches, pizza, pastry, and other delights. This will allow maximum flexibility, the cost can be reasonable at $15 or up to $25 depending what is ordered. Dinners will be slightly higher or ranging from $30, cafeteria style or sit down restaurants can be $40 or $50.

Pricing Info

Tour land cost: $4,795 US Dollars based upon minimum of 11 paying participants. There is a small group surcharge of $500 if 8-10 paying participants. All our program prices are based on double occupancy unless noted in exceptions.

Single room supplement: $1,045; single rooms are subject to availability and are not guaranteed. We try to accommodate travelers who request single accommodations, as well as travelers who are looking for a roommate. If a single room is requested, or if we are unable to find a suitable roommate, you will be required to pay the supplement.

Note: The land costs on international tours is based upon current exchange rates. Although the rate has been relatively stable, should it change, there may need to be an adjustment in the land cost.

General Tour Info (includes, excludes and other details)