General Itinerary

This is a suggestion at this point as we don’t have a set daily schedule yet. We may vary the daily itinerary according to the weather. We want to bring you to the stunning locations for photography in the best light, explore some of the local hilltop towns, experience local tours for historical interest, sample lots of wine and cheese and still have time for pure relaxation at the Villa! We will have more opportunities than what is listed here, such as private winery tours, and photographing horses in the hills. At the end of this section there is a list of locations, and we suggest that you Google anything that is in BOLD for more information. We may revisit places and add others, so be flexible!

Please read the highlights below. Some of the locations will be combined on one day, or early morning and late afternoon, with relaxation time in between. We are open to other options, too, but we don’t want to wear you out by scheduling dawn to dusk activities.

Highlights:

Full Day trip: 

Morning to Casole d’Elsa, an artistic hilltop town northwest of Siena. The streets are literally lined with art and the entire town is an artist colony as well as a beautiful and historic Etruscan settlement.

Afternoon to Siena, a beautiful medieval hilltop town and a UNESCO site. It features an outstanding Duomo, filled with art and amazing floor tiles and has a unique striped tower. There is much to do and see in Siena including the fan shaped plaza, that Rick Steves called the pretty plaza in Italy. We have dinner at a restaurant in the plaza.

*Early morning shoot:

The landscape in the Val d’Orcia area is sublime, filled with rolling hills of vineyards, olive trees and wheat fields. There is a road between San Quirico d’Orsia and Pienza that covers some of the most popular photography spots: I Cipressini, the Madonna Chapel, and Podere Belvedere. The drive is about ½ hour from the villa, so be prepared to get up at O-dark 30! The morning is spent exploring the gorgeous landscape and we will be there during poppy season with fields of red blooms.

*Early morning shoot:

*Poggio Covili is at the base of another castle hill top town, Castaglione d’Orcia. This is the famous row of Cyrpesses leading up to a beautiful farmhouse. The castle town is small, but there is a great view from below.

*Afternoon

*Pienza is a charming Renaissance hilltop town filled with art and history with great museums, shops and stupendous views. Known for its amazing Pecorino cheeses and it’s association with Pope Pius II and III! A wonderful location for lunch, and an opportunity to shoot panoramas of the beautiful Val d’Orcia valley from lofty viewpoints. For movie buffs, Zefferelli’s Romeo and Juliet used the Palazzo Piccolomini for the first encounter of the lovers.

*Afternoon trip 

The Abbey San Galgano is the ruins of the first gothic church in Tuscany. It was built early 1200’s. Nearby is the Chapel where legend says that Saint Galgano plunged his sword into the stone to give up his life of fighting and begin his life of faith and peace. You can see the sword in the stone under a plexiglass cover! The ruins of the church are wonderful and there is a lovely café on the property for lunch or snacks. 

*Sunset shoot

*Cypresses of Montalcino are the iconic image of Tuscany. A grove of Cypress trees set in the middle of a green field on the side of a hill, it doesn’t get more Tuscan than this!

*Sunset shoot

*Podere Baccoleno is near the town of Asciano and features a Cypress lined winding road to the farmhouse. Another classic Tuscan scene!

*Day trip

**Montepulciano is the perfect Tuscan hilltop town renowned for its Vino Nobile, medieval architecture, sumptuous food and its underground. Yes, you read that right! We will do the Underground Tour of wineries and tasting of their amazing wines, as well as cheese, olive oil and salami. We will have the hop-on hop-off tour of the above ground, bringing you to shops and the top of the city at the Piazza Grande. We will spend quite a bit of time before and after visiting the city to photograph the surrounding landscapes, the most gorgeous area in Tuscany!

*Afternoon/evening trip

Private Nature Preserve on the Italian West Coast – We have the option to spend an afternoon and early evening at a private nature preserve on the West Coast, near Grosseto. We will meet the ranch managers in the parking area where horse drawn carts will deliver us to this beautiful and remote nature preserve, with green forests and dramatic beaches. The preserve boasts a herd of white, long horn Maremma cows, native to Tuscany,  and wild horses. The beach is stunningly gorgeous, and the cowboys will bring the horses to the beach! It’s an exquisite place to explore and photograph. We top off the day with a delicious dinner on the beach, watching the sun as it disappears into the Tyrrhenian Sea.
Since access depends upon the weather, we won’t know till we arrive if this is possible. It is an add on for an additional $200 USD, but includes dinner and wine!

Landscape photo ops:

https://www.tuscanyphotographytours.com/articles/the-ultimate-photo-location-guide-to-tuscany/ 

This website lists the most amazing places, which are in bold above. We will visit most if not all of them.

Medieval Hill Top Cities:

Pienza

Siena

Montepulciano

Casole d’Elsa

Abbey San Galgano

We suggest that you arrive a couple days early to explore Florence. We will have transportation arranged to take us from Florence to the Villa outside of Buonconvento. We will be picked up in the morning from Florence and have a leisurely drive with a lunch stop before arriving at the Villa in Buonconvento. The transportation to and from Florence is included in the Tour Fee. Lee and Bobbi will be in Florence and will be glad to accompany you on Thursday and Friday around Florence. Florence is not included in the tour price, and all expenses are on your own. When we have more info, we will suggest hotels, museums and tours.

Florence’s museums, palaces, and churches house some of the greatest artistic treasures in the world. The most popular and important sites in Florence include the Cathedral, the Baptistery, the Uffizi, the Bargello, and the Accademia. The churches of Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce are veritable art galleries, and the library of San Lorenzo is a magnificent exhibition of Michelangelo’s architectural genius. Wander some of the oldest streets in the city until you reach the Arno River, cross the Ponte Vecchio, and experience the “newest” area of Florence, the Oltrarno. Be sure to set aside time to see the vast and varied art collection housed in the Pitti Palace. When you grow weary of museums and monuments, head outdoors. Spend a day at the Boboli Gardens or climb the hill to the church of San Miniato al Monte to experience an enchanting view of Florence, Italy.