Italy Photography Workshop – Blog

In Search of the Personal – Photographing Southern Tuscany

Saturday, June 5 to Saturday, June 12, 2010

General Daily Itinerary

Day 1/Day 4         Saturday, June 5    MEET IN ROME, TRANSFER TO SOUTHERN TUSCANY

We will meet in the lobby of the hotel at  (8:00) and transfer to Pienza, our base for the week.   On the way to the property, we will stop in Civita (Drive is 84 km, will take about 1 hour, 50 minutes.  Civita di  Bagnoregio (now two towns due to erosion), one of the most impressive sights in the area.  Dated back to the Etruscan period and partially rebuilt it in the medieval period, it is a little town where just 30 people live, with no cars or supermarkets.  It requires a bit of a hike on foot, but it’s worth it.  Stoll, explore, and photograph the town for a couple of hours.  We’ll then stop for lunch before we continue on to Pienza.

Then we’ll move on to our base for the week, Il Chiostro di Pienza, where you’ll settle in and explore the grounds.  If you’d like, have a glass of wine before dinner as we get to know one another.  We’ll then enjoy a traditional Tuscan dinner, prepared for us at the hotel, review the program, and prepare for our first full day tomorrow.

Small group field instruction with Jeff:

• Group A:  10:30 to 12:30.

Day 2/ Day 5         Sunday, June 6

Meet for breakfast.  We’ll then depart at 8:30 for a combination of visits to some or all of these these charming places

(depending on time).  San Quirico d’Orcia surprises at every turn of its medieval streets:  stone archways, Gothic churches, the Romanesque-Gothic Collegiata and the Horti Leonini, a superb example of the Italian garden. The enormous garden opens into a wide perspective flight, the effect of which is helped by the perfectly geometrical beds of box hedge.  Bagno Vignoni is famous for its thermal baths. It was popular with the Romans (and probably the Etruscans) and rose to prominence again during the Middle Ages because of the proximity of the Via Francigena, the north-south pilgrimage route through the Italian peninsula. The ancient square pool

at the center of the town is no longer in public use, but the scene is extremely attractive, with old stone buildings surrounding the pool on all sides.

Castiglione d’Orcia there are marvelous views from the Rocca (castle) over the Val d’Orcia. We’ll also stop in  Murlo, an ancient Etrucscan gated village.   We’ll then head back to Pienza at about 3:00, where you can download images and relax a bit.

Before dinner, enjoy an extremely interesting

talk by Maria Elena Torchio, an expert in all things Sienese.  This will help set the stage for our day in Siena tomorrow.  We’ll then enjoy dinner together in Pienza.

Small group field instruction with Jeff

• Group B  9:00- 11:00
• Group C  11:15-1:15 or so

Day 3/Day 6                  Monday, June 7

After an early breakfast, we will proceed to Siena, often referred to as Italy’s most

beautiful hill town, with its enormous scalloped-shaped Campo, its marble black and white striped Duomo facade, and its

superior placement on three ridges, offering beautiful vistas over this medieval city.  You’ll break for lunch on your own, followed by more photography or time to explore the city independently; the choice is yours. We’ll return to Il Chiostro at about 3:30, where we will download, edit, and critique images.

Tonight dinner will be at Il Rossellino, a very

small and wonderful place in the center of Pienza.

• Group A  9:30-11:30
• Group B  12:00-2:00

Day 4/Day 7                  Tuesday, June 8

We’ll begin the day with a very early breakfast and departure in order to make the most of the unique properties of the early-morning light. After 40 minutes or so, we will arrive at the gorgeous Abbazia diSant’Antimo, situated in magnificent solitude.  One of the most beautiful Romanesque structures in Italy, Sant’Antimo provides endless photographic opportunities, both outside and inside (photography not allowed during services).  If we are lucky, we’ll be able to hear the monks chanting, which occurs seven times per day.

Next, we will proceed to the town of Montalcino, a very well-heeled town, famous as the birthplace of the excellent Brunello di Montalcino wine, made entirely of the Sangiovese grape. You’ll have time on your own to explore; perhaps you would enjoy a visit the 14^th-century fortezza, and drop in to the Enoteca la Fortezza wine-tasting shop which is located under the fort.  After time photographing there, we will then proceed to Castello Banfi for wine tasting and lunch at their excellent taverna.

• Group C  7:30-9:00
• Group A  Montalcino visit

After a wonderful lunch, and maybe a nap on the bus, we’ll be back at the hotel for images/critiquing.

Day 5/Day 8                  Wednesday, June 9

Breakfast followed by a later departure from the villa (about 10:00).  We will proceed to one of the highest hilltowns, Montepulciano.  There are dozens of Renaissance palazzi and churches, odd-shaped squares and corners, and, of course, a Duomo to photograph.   There are plenty of opportunities for tasting the famous Vino Nobile di Montepulciano at local cantinas as well.   After we finish our time here, we will head into the countryside to visit Ernello, a pecorino cheese producer and learn about cheese production, followed by a light lunch consisting of pecorino cheese, salami, salads, bruschetta made with Ernello’s extra virgin olive oil.

From here, we will venture to the beautiful estate of La Foce, for a tour of the gardens in the late afternoon/early evening.  Dinner on the road, perhaps in Monticchiello, then back to Pienza.

• Group B  Montepulciano visit
• Group C  La Foce visit

Day 6/Day 9                          Thursday, June 10

Enjoy a day trip to the city of Orvieto, located in southwest Umbria.  This majestic hill top town is dramatically situated on a plateau of tufa, volcanic rock.  The city center is free of car traffic, which greatly adds to its appeal.  Orvieto possesses a magnificent cathedral with endless photographic opportunities; it is a masterpiece of gothic architecture with its multi-colored marble inlays and dazzling mosaics.  A unique series of man-made underground passages form almost another city beneath Orvieto.  An intricate labyrinth of tunnels, galleries, cisterns, wells, quarries and cellars made it possible to preserve both solid and liquid provisions, including wine, which was vital to the survival of a hilltop settlement.

• Group A  1 hour
• Group B  1 hour
• Group C  1 hour

After this, return to Il Chiostro to download images and critique our work.  We’ll have dinner in Pienza later this evening.

Day 7/Day 10                  Friday, June 11

We’ll focus on our work at the Chiostro today.  Free morning to do as you’d like.  After lunch on your own in town, download and edit images, and receive instruction in creating an audio slideshow of your thirty best images from the week.  Final critique and dinner at the hotel.

Day 8/Day 11                  Saturday, June 12

After saying our final goodbyes, we’ll depart for Rome after an early breakfast.  We’ll either take you to Fiumicino Airport or to the city, depending on your plans.

Your Story of Rome

Tuesday, June 1 to Saturday, June 5, 2010

General Daily Itinerary

Day 0                  Tuesday, June 1

Arrive and check in at our hotel, the 3-star Albergo Cesári, ideally located in the centro storico, within walking distance to many important sites (one of those being Jeff’s favorite gelateria, Giolitti).  In the early evening, we will meet for a beverage on the hotel’s rooftop terrace as we discuss the three upcoming days.  If you’d like, have a glass of wine before dinner as we get to know one another.  While we relax and enjoy the evening, Jeff will cover some of the basic ideas and concepts for our time together, looking at the issues of framing and composition, but most importantly, conceptualizing the sort of photographs you’ll make.  As you begin to explore Rome, start to think about what interests you.  Is it the antiquity?  The people?  The way the culture embraces food?  What about the amazing mix of religious and secular architecture? Take this time to being thinking about how the photographs you make will tell the story you have in your head.  We’ll also talk a bit about the editing process we’ll use and give you a bit of assistance in taming the number of images that you’ll need to consider for your story of Rome.

We’ll enjoy dinner Hostaria Romana, a restaurant with typically wonderful

Roman cooking.   It’s  just a short walk from the hotel.  They have a terrific antipasti selection, so you’ll be able to try out many Roman specialties.  This restaurant has quite a history, including its role as a stronghold against the Nazis during WWII.

Day 1                           Wednesday, June 2

“Chi dorme non piglia pesci,” (translation:  “Those who sleep don’t catch any fish”).

We’ll meet at 6:30 and get some glimpses of city as it comes alive, which will

provide a terrific kickoff to your story.  Our walk will take us past the

Pantheon, the magnificent ancient temple dating from 125 A.D., and Largo Argentina, where Caesar met his assassins, Brutus and Company.  We’ll then take a little detour to visit the colorful Campo di Fiori market, and cross the Ponte Sisto, the elegant Renaissance bridge leading to Trastevere.  The area of Trastevere is ideal for a walk through narrow streets, squares and colors that still maintain an authentically Roman character and offers a pleasant contrast with the solemn splendor seen at

the Vatican and the Baroque riots in other places throughout the city.  In

antiquity Trastevere – “beyond the Tiber” – was the first district established on the right bank of the Tiber and was

inhabited by artisans, fishermen, merchants and communities of foreigners, connected with the activities of the nearby port.

Sites that should not be missed include the ancient Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, with the 13th century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini, and of Santa Cecilia, with the touching statue of Cecilia herself, patron saint of music, by Stefano Maderno. To find the magnificence of the Renaissance even in Trastevere, the ideal place is the Villa Farnesina, the suburban villa of wealthy banker Agostino Chigi, containing frescoes by Raphael, Baldassarre Peruzzi and Sebastiano del Piombo.

During the afternoon, you’ll attend an instructional session with Jeff where you’ll learn the basics of using Adobe’s

Lightroom software. This software will be a huge help to you in terms of evaluating and sorting through each

day’s shoot in order to find your best images. You will not only learn the “how to” of Lightroom, but also how having a

greatimage browser and editor at your fingertips gives you creative control.

We’ll enjoy dinner at Pizzeria Montecarlo.  A casual place located near Piazza Navona, it offers great pizza and great wines in a fun, noisy atmosphere. A favorite of locals and tourists alike; in fact, Romans voted it as their favorite pizzeria in 2008 and 2009.   Montecarlo is a special little place full of Roman spirit, poetry and theatre.

Small group field instruction with Jeff:

• GROUP B  8:30 – 10:30
• GROUP C  11:00 – 1:00

Day 2                  Thursday, June 3

We’ll start off today by walking to the heart of ancient Rome, following the Via Fora Imperiale, until we reach

our destinations, the Coliseum and Roman Forum, where we will enter with reserved admission at 8:30 a.m., the earliest

admission allowed.  In addition to these areas, your entry allows you into the Palatine Hill area as well.  In this zone, there are so many others areas to explore.  To name just a few:

• Baths of Caracalla, an enormous bathing complex, very well preserved, with many mosaics still partially intact.
• Imperial Fora, which contain the Forum of Caesar, Forum of Trajan, among others.
• Trajan’s Market, thought to be the first shopping mall
• Capitoline Hill designed by Michelangelo, from whose balcony one can view the Roman Forum
• Santa Maria in Cosmedin, containing the Boca della Veritá and important medieval art
• Santa Maria in Campitelli designed in the late Baroque style

  

• San Giovanni in Laterano, one of the major basilicas of Rome and considered to be the Pope’s parish church
• Santa Maria Maggiore, another of the five major basilicas, which has a wonderful Byzantine interior.

We’ll escape the heat of midday and spend time working on editing the images you’ve made thus far.  Jeff will work individually with you, helping you edit, sort and group your images to begin to create your story.  (2:00-6:00)

Enjoy dinner on your own tonight, which will allow you to have more free time to photograph at this time of day and into the evening, or just soak in Rome’s atmosphere.   We’ll be sure to provide you with a list of some of our favorite places to either grab a quick bite or enjoy a longer, leisurely experience.

Small group field instruction with Jeff:

• GROUP A  8:30-10:30
• GROUP B  11:00-1:00

Day 3                  Friday, June 4

Feel free to get up and photograph as early as you’d like.  At 8:30, we’ll meet at

one of Rome’s most famous bars for breakfast, either Tazza d’Oro or Caffé Sant’ Eustachio, to have an authentic Roman

morning meal experience, which

typically consists of a quick stop for a shot or two of caffé (espresso) and a cornetto. Today we’re heading to the centro storico, the historic center.  We plan to be at the

Pantheon at opening time:  8:30 a.m. Other highlights in this area include

• Piazza Navona, also referred to as Diocletian’s Stadium, used for allsorts of contests in ancient times;
• Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza by Borromini, one of the most architecturally unique churches in the city;
• Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only Gothic church in Rome.  It contains (most of) the remains of St. Catherine ofSiena and its exterior is grace by one of Bernini’s most famous works.
• Sant’Ignazio and Piazza Sant’Ignazio, the base of theJesuits and the Counter-Reformation
• Via Giulia, home to many lovely antique shops, exclusive apartments, and a graceful archway draped with vines, designed by Michelangelo.
• Campo dei Fiori, the lively fruit and vegetable market during the day
• Palazzo Farnese, designed by Michelangelo and now the French Embassy

Small group field instruction with Jeff:

• GROUP C in the early a.m., 8:30-10:30
• GROUP A in the late a.m.  11:00-1:00

We’ll spend the heat of the day preparing a final edit of our work, culling out

the best of the best images in an effort to tell your story of Rome.

Dinner at Il Buco Ristorante Toscano, one of Jeff’s

favorite places in all of Italy, to celebrate your stories of Rome.

Workshops Sold Out for 2010!

See work from this year’s workshoppers here!

send an email to jeff@jeffcurto.com to be put on advance notice list for 2011!

SOLD OUT for 2010! Join us in 2011!

OPTIONS:

1. 4 nights/3 days in Rome – Sold Out for 2010 – Join us in 2011!
   
2. 7 days /7 nights in Southern Tuscany – Sold Out for 2010 – Join us in 2011!
3. Or come along for both experiences!

ROME – June 1 to June 5

Click here for more information about the Rome Workshop

“If Rome were a meal, or a book, or a woman, or a wrinkled, wise and ancient face, it would be the only face worth studying, the only woman worth loving, the only book worth reading, the only meal worth eating. You must go and go and go again.” –Anon.

Rome is an astonishing city… Crowded, noisy, bustling, gorgeous, and just generally fabulous. The Romans say, Rome…Una vita non basta….a lifetime is not enough. If you’ve been there, you know it’s true, and if you’ve not been there….get ready!  Rome offers endless photographic opportunities around every bend, among them are ancient ruins, riotously colorful open markets, light-filled piazzas that come out of nowhere where Romans their everyday lives, churches reflective of so many eras—Romanesque, Renaissance, Baroque, Rococco—majestic fountains, and so much more. 

It is a city with a story, or rather with millennia of stories, and through photography, we will concentrate on learning to tell a story of Rome  – your story of Rome – with images. In the field, we’ll spend time trying to find unique ways of seeing iconic sights as well as finding subject matter that is well off the beaten track. Back at the hotel, we will edit your take, working on shot selection, sequence and series to help you tell your own story of Rome. We will work with digital photographic equipment for its remarkable speed of feedback and response, combining daily photographic experiences with periodic real-time editing and critiquing of images.

We’ll be based in the centro storico, the historical center.  Our accommodations at the Albergo Cesári are ideally located between the Pantheon and the Trevi Fountain; it’s a “walk to” location for so many sites (including Giolitti, one of Rome’s premier gelaterie) you’ll want to photograph.  The hotel also has a great rooftop terrace where you can relax in the evening.

For more information on the Rome workshop – click here

SOUTHERN TUSCANY – June 5 to June 12

Click here for more information about the Tuscany Workshop

Enjoy a photographic journey where you will experience many aspects of Tuscany’s remarkable culture, landscape and hill towns and work towards a personal photographic response to the Tuscan sense of place. We will work with digital photographic equipment for its remarkable speed of feedback and response, combining daily photographic experiences with periodic real-time editing and critiquing of images.

Pienza (pop. 2300) is a most charming village with its perfect Renaissance town center reconstructed at the direction of its most famous resident, Enea Silvio Piccolomini, who became Pope Pius II in 1458.  Piazza Pio (Pius) illustrates his concept of the balance between church and state, and religious and civic buildings sit side by side in architectural harmony.  We’ll be based at the lovely Il Chiostro di Pienza, right in the heart of this town.   It’s an ideal combination of an in-town location with a countryside feel—there is a lovely terraced area in the back with unspoiled views on the Val d’Orcia, complete with a pool.

Working from our base, we will fan out across the Tuscan landscape and explore hill towns, markets, vineyards and the remarkable architecture of the region. By immersing ourselves in the culture, we will get to know the people, food and wine of the region. Jeff will push you to go beyond the picturesque and help you discover your own response to the texture, rhythm and spirit of Tuscany.

For more information on the Tuscany Workshop – click here.

PREREQUISITES

Each section of this departure is limited to a maximum of 12 participants in order to ensure the best level of personal instructional attention. This is an intermediate-level photographic experience; participants should have at least three years experience making photographs, have a basic understanding of photographic processes and technology and should be comfortable using a digital SLR camera in manual mode.

Above: Photograph by Bud Hines – Siena Pants Lovers

Students in the 2009 Workshop in Tuscany produced some really great images. As a “final project,” they made wonderful slideshows. Check them out below:

• Ann Marie Barry
• Cathy Brinkworth
• Amanda Dussault
• Marty Grassie
• Keith Guthrie
• Don Hartwell
• Bud Hines
• Gary Lewis
• John Triebe
• Roksolana Tymiak-Lonchyna