Tuscany recommendations

[lfgary]

I am going to Tuscany in late October/early November for my honeymoon. We are going to be there for 7 days, and will be using Florence as a hub. I will be taking the 4 x 5 with me. For those of you that live there and/or have visited please tell me the towns and places you think we must visit.

Gary on the other side of the world in Portland, Oregon

[Don7x17]

Gary
Take a look at the map and itinerary on Alan Ross' photo tour of Tuscany...(his workshop isn't until next year, but he's got some text plus a map of places you can look into)

Looks like a lot of interesting places, photographically...

http://www.alanrossphotography.com/workshops/italy-may-2010/

Don

[lfgary]

Thanks that is a great suggestion.

[Donald Miller]

That entire region is very scenic. A lot depends on what you want to photograph. Landscapes are a given. There is much more in the way of historic buildings with unique architecture in Italy as a whole. At the risk of directing you to specific locations, I think that I would advise you to explore this place (Tuscany) on your own. That would provide you the greatest experience. Be respectful of others in your photographic practice...ask permission and respect the wishes and you will be treated with respect. Failure to do that will not be a pleasant experience.

Obtain a international drivers permit (AAA). Learn the rules of driving in Italy...they are not the same as the USA. Carry your documents (passport and travel itinerary) with you at all times. Be prepared for the cost of benzene (gasoline)...was nearly $8.00 Eu per US gallon (sold in litres) when I left two months ago. Everything will cost you about 40% more than US.

I also enjoy Liguria as a region to visit. Italy is one of my favorite places. I have spent a year and half of the last two years there.

Good luck and enjoy your stay.

Ciao,
Donald Miller

[David Hedley]

Florence will still be busy at that time, with queues for the big tourist attractions (Duomo, Campanile, Uffizi, etc), but probably much more manageable than in the high summer season. The architecture, and art galleries, are extraordinary, as is the general cultural life of the city. If you want more Italian city, art and architecture, Pisa, Siena and Arezzo are all an easy day trip away by car.

The Chianti wine region is immediately south of Florence; take the road to Greve in Chianti (approx. 25 kms), on to Panzano (another 5 kms), and then take a few back roads to see some of the landscape and stop at a few vineyards / olive oil producers. Panzano also has reputedly the best butcher in Italy – Dario Cecchini – and his restaurants serve extraordinary, unmissable meals. The roads here are windy and narrow and you need to be careful, but you are also on higher ground and there are good places to stop and get a good view of the landscape.

You can keep going south, and get to a hill town like Montepulciano, which will be very famous in October / November as the New Moon film is released. You can head back to Florence on the autoroute, but the driving can often be an experience, with people tailgating at 160km/hr +.

Here’s a (non-LF) picture of a thunderstorm advancing over the Chianti valley from a few weeks ago;
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3526/3729277807_b75e4be9fe_b.jpg

[Walter Calahan]

Siena!

[Frank Petronio]

If you can get out of Florence and stay in the countryside I think you'll have a less touristy and stressful time... this small town about an hour outside of Florence was central to, well, all we had to do was drive and it was all amazing...

http://www.barberinovaldelsa.net/italiano/

We found a rental through an agent so we could be locals for a couple of weeks, it wasn't cheap but neither are good hotels in the city. The only compliant was that the plumbing, in the land of where they invented it, had a lot of "character".

[John Jarosz]

Viareggio has a nice promenade and beach on the Mediterranean. Lucca is an ancient walled town. Both are striking to see. The mountains of Carrera marble are nearby. Genoa has a nice point of land out into the harbor, but the town has very narrow streets and is quite congested on the weekends. Don't know about the rest of the week.

Driving is nuts. There is no other way to put it. When italian want to go fast, they go fast. Pisa & Florence are quite crowded. LF may be a challenge in the tourist areas..

Almost anywhere you go will have major photographic opportunities (cities or rural).

John

[John Powers]

Congratulations.

If you like black and white,

“TUSCANY: WANDERING THE BACK ROADS”
A Two-Volume Set of Photographs by Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee

http://www.lodimapress.com/html/tuscany.html

John

[kev curry]

I think you could spend a fascinating week just wandering around the city of Florence, but the surrounding countryside is awesome and not to be missed. If you were up for an early start one morning, catch a train from Florence to Assisi and stay till later in the evening before the return journey. Its about a 2hour train ride but well worth it, Assisi's a remarkable place.

[DougD]

I highly recommend a small town called Volterra south and east of Florence. I rode buses to get there, but it's a really nice little hill town with a couple of good restauraunts and the country side is rather spectacular. Mind the last comment applies to most of the small towns in Tuscany.

[Marco Milazzo]

A word to the wise: pay more attention to your new wife than to your photography.

MM

[eric black]

Anywhere but Pisa! In my opinion- a dump with a couple of famous buildings. Watch out for the driving in "historic districts" They will ticket you, even long after your visit is over and also watch for the speed cameras with the same result. My favorite place to photograph there is San Gimignano with Montalcino running a close second.

[David Hedley]

Here's another picture of the Chianti landscape;
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2508/3953005847_08684b3904.jpg

[Renato Tonelli]

A word to the wise: pay more attention to your new wife than to your photography.

MM

Best advice so far.

[csant]

Siena has been mentioned - but make sure you don't miss the countryside around Siena itself, and one of my favourite places is San Galgano (http://www.sangalgano.org/)…

[Patrick Dixon]

Here's another picture of the Chianti landscape;


Seen through a glass!

Nice shot.

[David Hedley]

Seen through a glass!

Mandatory in Chianti, of course.

[Richard M. Coda]

A word to the wise: pay more attention to your new wife than to your photography.

MM

Yes! I took my 8x10 and my 4x5 on our honeymoon to Victoria BC, Vancouver BC, Jasper ALB, Banff ALB. This may come back to bite you 19 years later! :eek:

[Ernest Purdum]

I'm prejudiced, but if you want someplace less often pictured, try Grosetto and its neighbor Castiglione della Pescaia. You can get to Grosetto from Firenze by train, them bus to Castiglione.

[Hiro]

A word to the wise: pay more attention to your new wife than to your photography.
Amen.

If you are up for a little exercise and good food, Walking and Eating in Tuscany and Umbria (http://www.amazon.com/Walking-Eating-Tuscany-Umbria-Revised/dp/0141009004/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1253913284&sr=1-1) provides good local info.

[M. Legan]

I am going to Tuscany in late October/early November for my honeymoon. We are going to be there for 7 days, and will be using Florence as a hub. I will be taking the 4 x 5 with me. For those of you that live there and/or have visited please tell me the towns and places you think we must visit.

Gary on the other side of the world in Portland, Oregon


Gary,

I visited Tuscany recently and stayed near a hilltown called Todi, which is about 2 hrs. north east of Rome. I had access to a car and heard about Piano Grande and had to go. WELL worth the drive. Here is a link to a short note and pics written by a photographer about this amazing place . Ciao

http://www.lifeinitaly.com/tourism/umbria/piano-grande.asp