Photography in Tuscany
The Complete Guide
Tuscany is an incredible photography destination, and the perfect antidote to the dramatic mountains and ice wilderness so popular in landscapes photography. Tuscany is full of soft textures and subtle colour, with a landscape that combines wonderful rolling hills and villas with historic villages that you can explore in detail with the camera.
Despite the tranquil atmosphere, Tuscany has one of the most exciting landscapes in the world for photography. Images from Val d’Orcia - the centre of photography in Tuscany - are instantly recognisable and just as striking as any spectacular peak. Sunrise in Tuscany may be one of the most rewarding moments to capture, and you can stand on a hillside overlooking mist in the valleys, capturing dozens of images as the light and conditions change.
It’s also a convenient place to explore, popular with more than just the smaller photography crowd and so full of restaurants and interesting accommodation. Tuscany covers a huge area, containing a varied landscape that stretches from mountains to the coast, and has been thoroughly explored by some very talented photographers. It’s easy to find places to stay, eat, and photograph in Tuscany, for a relaxed trip where you are rarely far from a great restaurant or cafe.
This is the guide to photography in Tuscany, which includes all the articles and tutorials I've written from my experience capturing the region. You'll find free articles about where to visit and how to travel, suggested ways to build an itinerary, and links to a photography travel guide and map for more detailed information.
Tuscany
Photography Travel Guide and Map
Explore my guidebook and map for photographers featuring:
-
A 160-page travel guide designed for photographers, including information, maps and images for planning your photography trip
-
Access to a digital map featuring 140+ pins of photography locations, parking, hiking trails and travel advice
-
60+ Tuscany photography locations with detailed advice on capturing the landscape
-
All designed for mobile to be easy to read and use while traveling
Travel Guide
When to Visit Tuscany for Landscape Photography
There are reasons to visit Tuscany at any time of year, but spring and autumn are the most popular seasons for photography. Like most of Italy, Tuscany is busiest during the summer, but spring and autumn draw photographers to the rural areas for beautiful scenes of mist flowing among rolling hills.
These are some of the benefits of visiting Tuscany in each season.
Spring (March - May)
Spring has mild weather and perfect conditions for photography, with temperatures between 12°C and 20°C and a good chance of mist in the valleys. The landscape is full of colour, with clusters of wildflowers and some variety in the patchwork of farmland as it is prepared for crops. There are some festivals in the villages and occasional wildlife in rural areas, and the colours and atmosphere make spring a beautiful time to photograph.
Spring is not the peak tourist season in Tuscany, but it can be very popular with photographers and groups exploring the countryside. While the villages are not crowded and you can find available accommodation and restaurants, groups of photographers gather at the most popular locations during peak light. You’ll get a great collection of images in spring, but they may not be unique.
Summer (June - August)
Summer in Tuscany is hot and sunny, with highs of 30°C and lows around 14°C. The landscape appears mostly in shades of green with very early sunrises and late sunsets, and you’ll have to plan your days carefully around the light. You can find fields full of sunflowers in some areas, and there are festivals to explore in the villages. There is less chance of mist in summer, but the light at sunrise and sunset can make for beautiful scenes in the landscape.
The cities in Tuscany are crowded during summer, and large tour groups visit the more popular villages and some rural areas. However, there are fewer photographers, and sunrise is so early that you may find some popular spots less busy in the mornings. You are more likely to create some distinctive images during summer, and the atmosphere of a green landscape under blue skies can be striking. However, summer is best for a blended trip with photography and other types of exploration.
Autumn (September - November)
The colour of the Tuscany landscape in autumn is beautiful, featuring golden and red shades in the woods and some of the farmland. The temperature is mild (around 15°C-25°C during the day), and there is a reasonable chance of mist in the mornings, though the conditions vary a lot over the season. The landscape gradually changes as fields are harvested, and you can find various festivals and activities in the villages for variety in your photography.
Autumn is popular with photographers, and the second most popular time to capture the landscape. However, most recognisable images of Tuscany are made in the spring, and you can build a collection of photographs featuring autumn tones for a distinctive atmosphere.
Winter (December - February)
Winter is the quiet season in Tuscany. Although there are ski resorts in the surrounding Apennine mountains, the cities and plains that are most popular for photography are at their least crowded. It can be fairly cold, with temperatures ranging from 1°C to about 9°C, and occasional snow among the villages and farmland. It's unusual for photographers to visit and capture winter scenes in Tuscany, and this is the best time to go for a more distinctive portfolio. It isn’t as easy to capture a great image in winter, but it is a better time to be creative and look for something new.
With fewer visitors, the landscape is less busy, and you'll find quiet streets in the villages. Some visitor facilities may be closed for the season or run shorter hours, but the logistics of a winter Tuscan exploration are not too challenging. Winter is not the optimal time for photography in Tuscany and can be a real challenge, but the effort can be worthwhile if you like a winter atmosphere in your images.
Full article | 6 minute read
How to Get Around Tuscany for Photography
It’s possible to explore Tuscany as a photographer on public transport or by driving, and each approach has advantages. If you plan to spend a lot of time in major towns and cities, using the train or bus is a good way to avoid difficult driving and high parking fees. However, in rural areas, a car is the only way to access the landscape during the best light. Your choice might depend on your photography preferences and goals for the trip, and this section covers the factors to consider.
Renting a Car in Tuscany
Renting a car in Tuscany will give you flexibility over where you go and what time you get there. It’s simple and inexpensive, and you can find car rental agencies at airports and major towns. Renting a car is the best option for any trip focused on landscape photography.
Rental cars usually come with basic insurance and a very high excess, which you can reduce with extra insurance, although this can double the price. It’s possible to rent a car very cheaply in Italy by getting separate excess insurance and shopping around for the best location (it’s sometimes an airport), and this should form part of your journey planning.
Driving around Tuscany is easy, and even tiny villages are connected by a network of well-maintained roads. There are some gravel tracks in rural areas, including some to accommodation in agriturismos, so be prepared for driving on rough tracks. You do not need a large car to tackle the short gravel roads of Tuscany, but do confirm that your rental car provider covers unpaved roads in their insurance.
The easiest places to access by car are remote landscape photography spots and small villages, which usually have parking areas nearby. Larger cities heavily restrict driving, especially around the historic districts with narrow streets, and you may have to leave the car at the edge of ancient towns like Siena.
Public Transport in Tuscany
Much of Italy is connected by bus and rail services, even surprisingly rural parts of Tuscany. The challenge of using public transport for photography is not always the location of bus and rail stops, but the timetable, which is more limited in remote areas. It’s unlikely you’ll reach most of the best locations in good light without your own vehicle.
However, a car can be a burden in the city, and it’s easier to get between Siena, Florence, Pisa and other large locations by train. Driving in Italian cities can be difficult, and the parking is expensive and rarely close to the city centre.
If you are on a longer visit to Tuscany, using public transport for the major populated areas and a car for remote places can be the best way to blend your options if your schedule allows you to separate urban and rural locations.
Full article | 5 minute read
Tuscany Travel Itineraries for Photographers
Tuscany has a wide variety of landscapes, villages and cities to photograph, but no logical route that connects them. This is one of the advantages of Tuscany, as you can easily explore new areas and come across beautiful villages and viewpoints almost by accident. However, the complex web of roads makes planning a trip in detail quite challenging.
The best approach to planning your journey in Tuscany is to think about areas and build a schedule around the type of features you want to capture. For most photographers, this starts in Val d’Orcia with its rolling hills and traditional villas.
5-7 days is a good amount of time to spend in Val d’Orcia for a blend of established locations and some exploration. Start with a single base in San Quirico d’Orcia or Pienza, and allow at least five days to visit most of the great photography locations in this area. You can spend much longer than seven days for more exploration and to revisit your favourite spots in different light.
If you want to capture more of this landscape, head north to the countryside around Siena, which has similar scenes of rolling hills until you reach the vineyard-covered hills of Chianti to the north. An extra 4-6 days in this area would give you time to explore the city of Siena and find new locations in the rural landscape to the north and south.
Alternatively, the south of Tuscany around Pitigliano and Sorano has a good collection of medieval villages and more forested landscape than Val d’Orcia. An additional 2-3 days in this area would allow you to discover some new locations, although south Tuscany is better for traditional village scenes and has fewer unspoiled landscape views than Val d’Orcia.
If you prefer street photography and ancient buildings, a blended trip of landscape in Val d’Orcia and urban exploration in Tuscany’s cities can work best. Rent a car to visit the rolling hills, but use the train to travel between Siena, Florence and some combination of Pistoia, Lucca and Livorno or Pisa. An itinerary focused on the cities is best for a trip that combines photography with museum visits and exploring Italy’s food and culture.
The article below has a longer explanation of how to build a photography trip itinerary for Tuscany, with ideas of how to adapt even further and fit your plans into an achievable trip.
Photography Itineraries in Tuscany
Full article | 8 minute read
Photography Guide
Landscape Photography in Tuscany
Tuscany is a brilliantly easy place to photograph, featuring a range of historic cities, cosy villages and beautiful landscapes. The logistics of a Tuscany photography trip are relatively easy; you can have a successful visit and capture some great photographs with little planning or research. However, there are a few approaches to photography in Tuscany that can help with your visit, and these tips are the advice I’d give to any photographer heading to the region.
The best time of day is sunrise, and the most reliable alternative is any afternoon with dappled light emerging from breaks in the cloud. Even if you struggle with early mornings, arriving on location well before the sun is up will often be rewarded with stunning light and beautiful conditions, especially in the spring and autumn. Look out for broken clouds at other times of day, and find viewpoints where you can pick out details in the landscape as shafts of light shine on different features.
Use the variety in Tuscany to your advantage, and alternate between shooting the landscape and capturing village scenes. Few other destinations allow you to explore the open landscape and then quickly stop in a historic village for such a different style of photography, and moving between them can refresh your creativity and help you develop your style and composition.
Devote some time each day to exploring for original compositions, and travel beyond the photography centre of Val d’Orcia if your schedule allows. There are some great established locations in Tuscany, but it’s an easy place to discover new scenes, and searching for your own compositions will develop your skills as a photographer. Tuscany is the ideal landscape for discovery, with plenty of features (villas, isolated trees, rolling hills) to combine into new compositions for a more original set of photographs.
The article below contains more photography advice to help prepare for your trip to Tuscany.
Full article | 9 minute read
Tuscany Photography Locations
Approaching Photography in Tuscany
Most photographers visiting Tuscany focus on the small area of Val d’Orcia, where you find the recognisable scenes that have made the region so famous as a photography destination. Val d’Orcia contains the typical compromises of an area popular with photographers: the set of established locations can make it easy to capture great images, but each spot can be busy, making it hard to create something unique.
However, it’s easy to be creative in Tuscany, and the best approach is to form a daily routine that blends well-known spots with independent exploration. In spring and autumn, the landscape is best at sunrise, and I recommend starting with a familiar location where you can safely arrive in the dark. The long days will give you plenty of time to explore and discover new spots while the sun is up. As your trip goes on, you can make different choices for sunrise each day as you uncover more potential locations.
Although Tuscany is a great location for landscape photography, it's important to bring a good long lens. Many spots have incredible views over rolling hills, and you can use a long lens to pick out small scenes over the landscape as the light changes. There are some wonderful vistas to capture with a wide-angle, but longer focal lengths can help you capture many images in a single shoot.
Tuscany is a great place to develop your photography and try new approaches. Some locations have enough variety that you might revisit in different conditions and explore new forms of composition. You can also find a balance between landscape images and street scenes from the historic villages. Exploring the ancient streets can be a break from the landscape and encourage you to explore other photography styles all within the same region.
The Best Photography Locations in Tuscany
While Val d’Orcia contains many of the recognisable landscapes from Tuscany, there are hundreds of villages and areas to explore across the region. South Tuscany has some beautiful historic villages, many built on dramatic rocky outcrops over gorges with incredible views of the surrounding landscape. Around Siena, you can find more rolling hills and villas, including areas that draw fewer photographers than the famous highlights further south.
The article below contains most of the well-known photography spots in Tuscany, with some additional ideas from my own explorations of the region. I recommend starting your trip with enough knowledge of these locations that you have options to visit for sunrise early in your visit. As you dedicate more time each day to discovering your own spots, you can find a balance between established locations and new areas.
Photography Locations in Tuscany
Full article | 12 minute read
Tuscany
Photography Travel Guide and Map
Explore my guidebook and map for photographers featuring:
-
A 160-page travel guide designed for photographers, including information, maps and images for planning your photography trip
-
Access to a digital map featuring 140+ pins of photography locations, parking, hiking trails and travel advice
-
60+ Tuscany photography locations with detailed advice on capturing the landscape
-
All designed for mobile to be easy to read and use while traveling