Photo Experience Tour in Umbria – 8 days – 7 nights

A course in Creative Photography, using traditional B/W film techniques, in the heart of the Umbrian countryside

Day 1: Upon your arrival at Fiumicino Airport, your personal driver will take you to your villa, where you will be greeted with welcome refreshments. Your private chef will prepare dinner for you at the villa.

Day 2: After a delicious breakfast served in the garden, you will meet Paolo, who will guide you through the fascinating world of photography. The day’s lessons will include “Portrait Shooting” in the studio using professional equipment, and then you’ll move outdoors, using natural light and bouncers. Enjoy a light lunch and dinner prepared by your chef at the villa.

Day 3: The rooster crows early today! With a quick coffee to open your eyes, you’ll be ready to watch as dawn emerges over Trasimeno Lake in a unique collage of colors. Nature slowly wakes up, and from absolute silence emerge the songs and the sounds of the birds that inhabit this area. A private transfer will lead you to Tuoro on Lake Trasimeno. The theme of the day is “Taking Pictures at the Earliest Part of the Day.” By boat (or ferry), you’ll reach Isola Maggiore, the only residential area of the lake’s three islands. Isola is a small, pristine village that today is home to only 16 people, but in years past, it was a setting for the passage of history. The first person to recognize the importance and value of the island’s peacefulness was Saint Francis, who built a monastery here and created, step by step, a village with a brilliant future. The men of the island spent their days fishing, and the women repaired nets and were experts at making Irish lace, a particular type of crocheted lace, which also became a symbol of their independence. Enjoy a walking tour around the island with a local guide, and use your camera to make permanent memories of this unique place. Be sure to visit the Lace Museum and discover the many ways in which this beautiful lace can be used. After a lunch of freshly caught fish from the lake, return to Tuoro and from there to your villa, where you can put your feet up and relax until dinner time. (Dinner at the villa)

Day 4: The Torgiano Vineyard & Wine experience is today. Enjoy a hearty breakfast, put on your most comfortable shoes, and get ready for a full immersion in the Umbrian countryside! Your private coach will deliver you to Torgiano for the day’s theme of “Landscapes and People,” capturing characteristic corners and unusual aspects of the country life and its workers. Torgiano is known for wine production, a connection so strong that the town’s coat of arms bears a bunch of grapes. Over the years, the village has maintained its medieval architecture along with a considerable portion of the original city walls, including the legendary Baglioni Tower, also called “Torre di Giano” (Tower of Janus), from which the town’s name is taken. Learn about the various cultivation techniques adopted throughout the seasons, which are aimed at growing the perfect grape and producing a glass of delicious wine! Learn how to read the landscape and express it in your photos. Capture the candid expressions of people as they work. Share your experience with new friends, enjoy special moments of tranquility in a pristine environment, and discover the enjoyment of life in the Umbrian countryside. To round off your cultural experience, the winery tour is followed by a visit to the Wine Museum in Torgiano. Lunch and wine tasting included. (Dinner at the villa)

Day 5: Perugia – a small town with a big soul (lunch not included). By private transfer, you will head to Perugia, the capital city of Umbria. Situated at the top of a hill with a long series of peaks, Perugia has been witness to many historical events, evidence of which can be observed in the old town center. Rocca Paolina, Piazza Italia, Corso Vannucci, Piazza IV Novembre with its beautiful Fontana Maggiore, the Cathedral, Palazzo dei Priori, and the Galleria Nazionale dell’Umbria (National Gallery of Umbria) dominate the old center. Narrow alleyways rise and fall throughout Perugia, intertwining around medieval palaces and squares and leading to intriguing corners where the voices of the locals blend with the native tongues of the many foreign students that live in the city. Perugia has been and is still home to an important Athenaeum operative since the 1300s as well as the ancient Università per Stranieri (University for Foreigners). What better location to work on “Architecture and Light”? Capturing the beauty of medieval and Renaissance palaces and the town’s many fascinating spaces is the perfect way to get to know this remarkable place. On the way back to your villa, stop in at Solomeo, a small hamlet that has become world famous thanks to one of the top names in Italian fashion, Brunello Cucinelli. Not just a charming place to visit, you can also shop for luxurious cashmere clothing at the factory outlet. Meanwhile, back at your villa, everything will be in place for the special evening ahead, including a delicious candle-lit dinner and a private concert.

Day 6: After all those days spent taking photographs, it’s now time to see the results! Paolo will teach “Darkroom Techniques,” covering film development, printing enlargements, using negatives of different sizes, and fine art print techniques so that you can create your own masterpieces. For the remainder of the day, take it easy and relax with a swim in the pool, or just soak in the sun. A light lunch will be provided at the villa. Dinner is at the villa with an excellent “Italian style” veggie menu.

Day 7: By private transfer, you will head to the Scarzuola in Montegabbione, where a guide will welcome you to this fantastic and dream-like locale. Defining the Scarzuola isn’t easy: Is it a park, an open-air museum, or a mixture of mysticism and odd things? Maybe it’s all these things, but one thing is for sure – it’s a labyrinth of emotions. The Scarzuola is a vision, and you need only to fall into an arcane dream, in an “unfinished” place, where you chase the infinite. The Scarzuola is first of all a stone autobiography of its author, the architect Tomaso Buzzi (1900-1981). It has been said that in 1956, during a trip to Mexico, Buzzi saw a small, refined cloister and decided he wanted to retreat to a similar place, far away from the world. A friend told him about the small church of the Scarzuola, which was tucked away in the Umbrian countryside and was in search of a buyer. So in January 1957 he signed the notary deed and became the new owner of the church, the house, and the surrounding land, which in previous centuries had belonged to a Franciscan order. The Scarzuola takes its name from the “scarza” the branch of a water plant that grows in the area and that is still used by farmers to cover chair seats. Sometime in the year 1218, Saint Francis of Assisi built a humble bed of “scarza” there, next to some caves. At midday (lunch not included) you will make a visit to the town of Orvieto. While the Cathedral is the main attraction, it’s worth taking the time to walk through the old town center. Here is where you’ll find many workshops and stalls producing distinctive ceramics. The ornaments and colors used by Orvieto’s potters have ancient origins. All production related to “buccheri” pottery dates back to the Etruscan period, and the red and black figures are typical of this style. In the medieval age a new and important creative impulse led to the production of typical majolica in dark manganese and green; then, during the 14th century, master potters from Orvieto introduced new colors (yellow and cobalt blue), new decoration techniques, and modern styles and designs. A visit to the Museo delle Maioliche Medievali e Rinascimentali (Museum of Medieval and Renaissance Majolica) will help you decide which style and history you prefer for your souvenirs. The large kiln, the only one still in existence from 14th century Italy, was used to create a rich and well-structured pottery industry, which you can still see around Orvieto. Before leaving the city, don’t miss the opportunity to take a tour of the past by visiting the subterranean “Orvieto Underground,” where you will see items discovered in the “butti” (literally, trash) of medieval kitchens. Thanks to these finds, it has been possible to determine the ceramic tools and ornamentations used in the different periods. Back at the villa, an Arrivederci dinner will be prepared by your chef.

Day 8: After breakfast, transfer to Fiumicino Airport…

Included in the tour:

• Accommodation in villa, bedrooms with en-suite bathroom
• 7 breakfasts, 2 light lunches and 4 dinner at the villa
• 1 special dinner + 1’Arrivederci dinner in collaboration with ‘Università dei Sapori’ (Cooking University of Perugia)
• private live music concert on day 5
• excursion on Trasimeno Lake, included boat ticket and lunch
• wine experience in Torgiano, included wine activity, tasting, lunch and visit to the Wine Museum
• 3 half day local guided service in Perugia, Orvieto, Isola Maggiore

professional photographer to develop the scheduled activities

Do you want to add or remove anything? Ask for a customization of the program! We will be glad to make this itinerary more personalized.

Just Enjoy… Just For You!