Tuscan landscape, spring sunshine

Thursday

Friday

Wake-up at 4:20 a.m. (some alarms went off as early as 3:40!). It’s the first time, so in a few days we’ll get used to it… My weather model isn’t predicting any fog. With photographers from all over the world expected to descend on the place, I’m not particularly keen on going there, but Jirka and I can’t exactly keep Belvedere a secret from our clients.

Not only is there no fog – there isn’t even any Belvedere. Not a single light is on. An untrained eye wouldn’t even be able to find this Tuscan landmark in the darkness. If only they had switched on at least one candle. My evening briefing about “…and in the dark you’ll be manually focusing on the little lights” is now completely useless.

But we try, we learn. Night photography in the darkness before dawn is the most difficult part for the clients. Fortunately, after half an hour there are plenty of other, much more interesting subjects – Pienza framed through a flowering chestnut tree with a 300 mm lens, other farmhouses and rolling hills with solitary cypress trees in the distance. And the low sun gives us beautiful side lighting. Fortunately, there aren’t as many people around as in previous years.

We stop for coffee and pistachio croissants, of which they once again have far too few, and the instructors – being such a wonderfully selfless bunch – don’t get any. A visit to Pienza is a disappointment. It’s a public holiday and there are people everywhere. Still, we take a walk around and stock up on local products – pecorino, olive oil and wine. This is the best place to buy them, and there won’t be time to come back later. A traditionally excellent lunch at our favourite restaurant saves the day and restores our impression of Pienza.

We’re tired, so we go to bed. We had promised ourselves a siesta after lunch every day, but none of us, including the instructors, yet realises that this will be the first and last siesta of the entire Tuscan trip.

In the evening, we head to a small cypress grove just above the road, only for me to conclude – just as I did last year – that the subject isn’t worth it, and we start looking elsewhere. Green rolling hills with a winding road on the left, or a telephoto view into the distance of an isolated farmhouse, framed through the flowers of purple clover (again). The sun is low, a ray of light hits the lens, and in a beautiful orange finale it sets.

Just when everyone is looking forward to getting back to bed in the dark, we spot the moon fairly low above the horizon from the car. The chapel is only a short distance away, so we have to give it a try.

So, out of the car again.

And it actually worked quite well!

Saturday

For a morning shoot, Asciano is quite a long drive from our accommodation, but it is worth it. Last year we discovered plenty of beautiful views looking east, and the sunrise worked out perfectly again. The “fog” in the background was actually just smoke from fires, but it was enough.

I was looking forward to spending the morning searching for new viewpoints even more than taking photographs themselves. We succeeded. We now have something special planned for next year, especially if the conditions are good and visibility is excellent.

After an excellent breakfast at the best bakery in Siena, we headed into the city, which welcomed us rather warmly and without the huge crowds. I skipped the cathedral this time. Jirka took a few of the clients there, while the rest of us tried to find interesting compositions in the narrow streets. This is where my “iPhone black-and-white project” came from (at the very bottom of the article).

We then spent a wonderful few hours at my favourite wine spot. I once again enjoyed a glass of excellent Brunello di Montalcino at Vineria al Canape.

In the afternoon, we tried a walk around San Gimignano, but there were so many people that we escaped to the vineyards below the town and waited for sunset. We struggled a little with the compositions, but I think we managed to get some good shots. We even had a beautiful sunset.

And yes, I’m perfectly happy to leave those cranes around the towers in the photographs!

Sunday

We’re not alone here; several other workshops are around. Yes, at the more famous locations we keep running into photography groups from all over the world. I remember a very elderly gentleman from Texas who spoke surprisingly good Czech and immediately came over to say hello when he saw the Czech Photo Travel patch on my jacket. He was there with the “American competition”.

The traditional viewpoints aren’t particularly exciting, so just below the road we “plant” a bed of red poppies picked from all around the surrounding area. Surely we can make something out of that. Once the scene is ready, the other workshop groups circle around us enviously, waiting for us to leave.

We stop for an excellent lunch in San Quirico d’Orcia. Getting into our favourite restaurant is becoming increasingly difficult, but it is a real culinary delight – excellent pasta, wine and desserts! On the way back to the car, I once again make sure not to miss the stop at that beautiful, tall, dark-haired gelato lady. I get coffee and pistachio.

We have a longer drive ahead of us to our second accommodation near Pitigliano, and after a quick check-in we head straight into town. Those who know me know that I’m not particularly fond of towns, but when there aren’t too many people around – and there weren’t that afternoon – I actually enjoy the walk. I’m just too lazy to carry a camera around, but I still look for interesting photographic viewpoints and document them with my phone.

For sunset, we find a viewpoint near Sorano, and we bring some snacks and wine with us to make the wait for blue hour more enjoyable. The evening is beautiful. The wind dies down, the temperature drops and humidity rises. I have a feeling that tomorrow morning could be interesting if we get some fog.

Monday

For sunrise, I set off with high hopes. Below Sorano, which sits on a hilltop, there might be some fog. At the viewpoint, we discovered that there was indeed fog – but it was too high. It was covering the panorama of the old town.

I encouraged the photographers to stay alert, though – everything can change within a few seconds. After all, the towers were already starting to emerge! And look over there, where the sky is at its pinkest – that’s where the sun will rise. Then try getting a sunstar once the sun is higher. And over there, next to it, there are flowering plants growing out of the rock – you’ll have a beautiful foreground.

We stayed there for almost three hours, and it was a miracle that we managed to fit everything in.

I realised that this year the photographers had sunshine every morning and evening during our Tuscan trip. You could say we had very decent conditions. We could have done with a little more fog – and in the right places.

Happy and satisfied, we set off on the long drive back to Prague, arriving shortly after midnight.

Unfortunately, the May 2027 photography trip to Tuscany is already fully booked. You can, however, join the waiting list in case someone cancels. If we announce another date, we will contact you first.

And if you are genuinely interested in a similar photography trip, drop me a message. We might be able to organise another one at the end of April, when there could be more fog.

Related links

• What Tuscany was like in 2025, 2024 and 2023

• Articles about photography in Tuscany

• Photography trips

• Photography workshops