Tuscany Photography Tour Switzerland

The Val d’Orcia is one of Tuscany’s six World Heritage sites. The valley’s landscape of gentle, rolling hills was the subject of many Renaissance paintings, especially by the painters of the Scuola Senese, or The Siena School, mentioned in the Val d’ Orcia’s UNESCO nomination.

This region has everything that visitors to Tuscany come to see and experience, from the powerhouse DOCG wines of Brunello di Montalcino and Vino Nobile to spa towns like Bagno Vignoni, whose “baths” in the public square are fed by springs of Monte Amiata, which marks the southern boundary of the territory. There are abbeys and gardens–and that zig-zagged strada bianca lined with cypresses that has come to be a symbol of this territory. It's no wonder the region achieved UNESCO nomination: “The Val d’Orcia is an exceptional reflection of the way the landscape was re-written in Renaissance times to reflect the ideals of good governance and to create aesthetically pleasing pictures.”

During this photography tour of Tuscany, we will stop to photograph the magnificent medieval village of San Gimignano, called “Manhattan of the Middle Ages,” with its towers and exceptional views. Next, we’ll go to Monteriggioni, a medieval walled city, where we will stay in a typical farmhouse. Finally, at the end of the tour on Sunday, we will focus our lenses on the majesty of Florence, discovering secrets, stories and contrasts until evening.