Tuscany:
Layers of History

– The Experience

A week inside

one of the world’s
great landscapes

There are few places on earth like Tuscany. Its landscape was painted by the great artists of the Renaissance. Its architecture is known for its sense of proportion, beauty and attention to minute detail.

On the morning of Sunday, May 31, our driver will pick us up in Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance and the capital of the region of Tuscany. We’ll head south, with a stop in the Chianti area to have lunch and taste some great wines before wending our way to the magnificent hilltop town of Cortona, our home base for the week, where we’ll stay at the beautiful and historic Hotel San Michele.

Subsequent days will find us in our private van, exploring and photographing spectacular locations like Arezzo, Anghiari, Pienza, San Quirico d’Orcia, Montepulciano, and the Val d’Orcia, working to express the nuances of each of these important Tuscan towns and landscapes with our cameras. 

Of course Cortona will be our photographic constant, as we investigate its many churches, stunning views, interesting museums and winding streets. We’ll also venture out into the surrounding rustic countryside, finding our way to Le Celle, where, in 1211, St. Francis built a small hermitage – his first. Our critique sessions will take place in my apartment right in the center of town and just steps from our hotel.

Cortona epitomizes the staggering layers of history of this region. The powerful and technologically advanced Etruscans were among the original inhabitants of this hilltop stronghold, making it one of the original 12  Etruscan cities around 700BC. The Romans followed, and, despite a defeat of the Roman army by Hannibal and the Carthaginians, it was a Roman town for several centuries after which the Ghibellines and then the Medici held sway. More recently, Frances Mayes’ book and movie Under The Tuscan Sun has reinvigorated interest in this “off the track” town.

On the morning of June 7 we’ll have a private van transfer to Florence, where you can head back home or on to other destinations.

Mixed in with our explorations will be time spent on photographic instruction – both in the field and back at our hotel, where we’ll critique images, learn nuances of technique and vision and discuss our photographic intentions and how they inform your personal sense of the places we’ll explore together. Through ample time for image making, a blend of formal and field instruction and time for discussion and critique, we will work to uncover themes and lines of vision that may not have been previously evident to you.

I limit my groups to a maximum of 7 photographers to ensure a high level of personal instructional attention. Non-photographer companions are warmly welcome.