Sea-Girt Villages of Italy Photo Tour with Harold Davis October 28, 2015 – November 11, 2015 Positano, where we will be staying for four nights. Visit and explore the Italian Riviera and take photos like you never have before— This is a photographer’s dream trip! Sea-Girt Villages of Italy Photo Tour with Harold Davis October 28, 2015 – November 11, 2015 Day 1: October 28, 2015 Florence: Meet at Hotel Balestri at 3 p.m. Page 2 Day 2: October 29, 2015 Monterosso & Cinque Terre: Transfer to Page 3 Monterosso with a stop for photography at the Leaning Tower of Pisa along the way. Day 3: October 30, 2015 Cinque Terre: All-day guided tour by foot and train Page 4 of the villages of the “Five Lands” Day 4: October 31, 2015 Free time for photography and exploration. This Page 5 day is for exploring Cinque Terre in depth. Day 5: November 1, 2015 Free time for photography and exploration of Page 6 Cinque Terre. Individual guidance and assignments, as well as group sessions with Harold, will be arranged during the day. Day 6: November 2, 2015 Naples: Transfer to Naples via train with a half-day Page 7 private driving tour of Naples upon arrival. Day 7: November 3, 2015 Pompeii: Half-day guided tour by private van of the Page 8 ancient city of Pompeii and the newly opened Villa of the Mysteries. Day 8: November 4, 2015 Vesuvius and Herculeneum: A half-day guided Page 9 private tour of Mount Vesuvius and Herculeneum. Day 9: November 5, 2015 Capri: Transfer by ferry to Capri where a guide will Page 10 meet the group for an afternoon tour of Capri and Anacapri. Day 10: November 6, 2015 Free time for photography and exploration of the Page 11 Island of Capri. Day 11: November 7, 2015 Amalfi & Positano: Transfer via hydrofoil to Amalfi Page 12 where a guide will meet the group to explore Amalfi. Then, transfer via private van to Positano. Day 12: November 8, 2015 Positano: Free time for photography and Page 13 exploration. Individual guidance and assignments, as well as group sessions, will be arranged. Day 13: November 9, 2015 Amalfi Coast: Full day guided tour of the stunning Page 14 Amalfi coast, including Ravello. Day 14: November 10, 2015 Paestum: Guided tour with private van of one of the Page 15 gorgeous seaside Greek ruins in Italy. Day 15: November 11, 2015 Naples: Transfer back to Naples Airport or Page 16 Train Station. About the Trip A quick note for photographic travelers Page 17 Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 2 Day 1: October 28, 2015 Hotel: Hotel Balestri Piazza Mentana 7 Uffizi, 50122 Florence, Italy The group will meet in the hotel lobby at 3:00 p.m. We will be staying one night at the centrally located Hotel Balestri on the banks of the Arno River, located near the Duomo, Ponte Veccio, and other major attractions. We are meeting at the Hotel Balestri, Florence (photo via Hotel Balestri). Planned activity: Private guided three hour orientation walking tour of Florence including the Duomo, Baptistry, Piazza della Signoria, Ponte Veccio, Arno and Oltrarno, with stops and free time to take photographs. Meal included in the tour: Welcome Dinner. Dinner possibility: Del Fagioli Corso dei Tintori, 47-r 50122 Firenze Tel: +39 055 244285 Ristorante del Fagioli. “One of the oldest trattorie in Florence. Ristorante del Fagioli is one of those Italian restaurants you’re always hoping to find. Wood paneled dining rooms, smiling cooks in the kitchen, the day’s specials up on a blackboard. They even have old fashioned, straw covered bottles of Chianti.” —E.M. Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 3 Day 2: October 29, 2015 Transfer to Monterosso & Cinque Terre Today we will be moving on to Monterosso and Cinque Terre. 10:00 a.m.: Private van transfer to Monterosso-al-Mare with stop to photograph Leaning Tower of Pisa. Staying in Cinque Terre for four nights. Cinque Terre, the “Five Lands” include the villages of Cornigilia, Manarola, Monterosso, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza on a beautiful part of the Ligurian coast. Hotel: Hotel Margherita Via Roma, 72 19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP) Tel: +39 0187 817699 We will be staying at the Hotel Margherita for four nights. Meals included in the tour: Breakfast at the Hotel Balestri before departing Florence, and Dinner in Monterosso. “My family and I ate here on our first night in Monterosso, and we found Dinner possibility: it to be fabulous. The mixed seafood salad, with octopus and clams, was fantastic. We ordered one of the “for 2 people “ dishes, the spaghetti Ristorante Al Pozzo with lobster sauce. This isn’t just a sauce made from lobster and poured Via Roma, 26 over the pasta, it’s a large steaming pot of lobster stew, with large chunks Monterosso al mare SP of the lobster (with shell), with garlic and tomatoes and with perfectly Italy cooked spaghetti.” — G.T. We will be staying in Monterosso for four nights while we explore the “Five Lands” of Cinque Terre (photo via Hotel Il Giardino Incantato). Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 4 Day 3: October 30, 2015 Today we will explore Cinque Terre with a private guide. All day private guided tour by foot and train of the “Five Lands” of Cinque Terre which includes the villages of Cornigilia, Manarola, Monterosso, Riomaggiore, and Vernazza. Hotel: Hotel Margherita Via Roma, 72 19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP) Tel: +39 0187 817699 Number of nights: Night 2 of 4 Meals included in the tour: Breakfast at the hotel and provided Lunch. Cinque Terre is a great location for exploring and photography (photo: Creative Commons, attribution-share alike, author: chensiyuan, via Wikimedia). Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 5 Day 4: October 31, 2015 Continue to explore the Five Lands. Go back to a place you want to look at more closely while you work with Harold on a photographic goal. Free time and/or guided photography with Harold as we explore Cinque Terre in depth. Harold will also provide guided assignments, as well as technique and image review sessions. Hotel: Hotel Margherita Via Roma, 72 19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP) Tel: +39 0187 817699 Number of nights: Night 3 of 4 Meal included in the tour: Breakfast at the Hotel Margherita. The Village of Riommagiore was founded in 1251 (photo via www.Cinqueterre.it). Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 6 Day 5: November 1, 2015 Continue working with Harold on your photography while enjoying the All Saints’ Day festivities. Free time and also photography with Harold. November 1st is All Saints Day, called Festi di Tutti i Santi in Italy. It is both a public and religious holiday in Italy. People visit family and friends, and exchange gifts with one another. We may have the opportunity to photograph All Saints festivities in the context of the small villages of Cinque Terre. By the way, November 2nd is known in Italy as All Souls Day or Italy’s Day of the Dead, Il Giorno dei Morti. Special soft almond cookies are baked called Ossi dei Morti, Bones of the Dead. Hotel: Hotel Margherita Via Roma, 72 19016 Monterosso al Mare (SP) Tel: +39 0187 817699 Number of nights: Night 4 of 4 Meals included in the tour: Breakfast at the Hotel Margherita. Time to say goodbye to our home in Monterosso. After staying at the Hotel Margherita for four nights, we will be moving on to the city of Naples the next day (photo via Hotel Margherita). Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 7 Day 6: November 2, 2015 Transfer to Naples Today we will take the train from Florence to Naples, where we will start to explore Naples, one of the oldest cities in the world. 10:00 a.m. private minivan transfer to Florence where we will have lunch before boarding the Frecciarossa Train to Naples. When we arrive in Naples, a guide and private van will pick us up for an afternoon tour of Naples. There will be plenty of time to photograph along the way. The tour will end at our new hotel, the Hotel Decumani. Hotel: Palazzo Decumani via del Grande Archivio, 8 80100 Napoli, Italy Tel: +39 081 420 1379 We will be staying at the Palazzo Decumani for three nights. Meals included in the tour: Breakfast at the Dinner possibility: Hotel Margherita before departure, Lunch La Figlia del Presidente along the way, and Dinner in Naples. Via Grande Archivio, 23 Napoli NA, Italy After getting acquainted with Naples, we will be setting out the following day on a private guided tour of Pompeii and the Villa of Mysteries (photo: Creative Commons, attribution-share alike, author: Alessandro Zarcone, via Wikimedia). Sea-Girt Villages of Italy with Harold Davis Page 8 Day 7: November 3, 2015 Today we explore and photograph Pompeii and the Villa of the Mysteries. Private half-day guided tour of the ancient city of Pompeii and the newly restored Villa of the Mysteries. Hotel: Palazzo Decumani via del Grande Archivio, 8 80100 Napoli, Italy Tel: +39 081 420 1379 Number of nights: Night 2 of 3 Meals included in the tour: Breakfast at the Palazzo Decumani and dinner in Naples. Dinner possibility: Tandem Via Giovanni Paladino, 51 80138 Napoli Italy Tel: +39 081 1900 2468 You will be able to see this fresco for yourself when we visit Pompeii and the newly restored Villa of Mysteries (photo: Creative Commons, attribution-share alike, author: Matthias Kabel, via Wikimedia).