Cinque Terre | Ligurian Coast (without the crowds)
March 17-24, 2025
7 days / 6 nights / 6-12 guests
From $5500
Extension to Lucca and San Gimignano March 24-27
This special March tour is created to avoid the crowds that can plague these charming seaside villages in the tourist season.
Photographers love the brightly painted villages that dot the coastline of this “Italian Riviera”, Cinque Terre and Portofino being the most famous.
Foodies love the Liguria region for its pesto, focaccia, seafood, and crisp white wines.
We begin in the Cinque Terre, then move to a quiet seaside 4-star hotel in the fishing village of Camogli that you’ll never forget.
Tour Itinerary
Pre-Tour Meetup (Optional)
Meet us in Pisa the afternoon before the workshop starts.
Take a walking tour to Piazza die Miracoli (Miracle Square) with the Leaning Tower and so much more to see.
Then join us for aperativi and in a vibrant section of Pisa where we can get to know you a little better,
For those who are hungry we’ll reserve tables at a favorite trattoria for an optional dinner (paid on own).
Get some sleep and we’ll meet up officially in the morning.
Overnight on your own in Pisa (hotel recommendations offered)
Day 1-3 | Cinque Terre
We check into our hotel in the “old town” of Monterosso. From here we can explore all 5 of the Cinque Terre (literally: five lands) by train and ferry.
Overnight: Monterosso
Day 4-7 | Camogli, Portofino and the Italian Riviera
Our 4 star hotel on the beach welcomes us to seaside Camogli, where rulers vacationed since the Middle Ages.
From here we can explore treasures along the Ligurian Coast; Portofino, the monastery of San Fruttuoso and other villages.
The town of Camogli itself is a sanctuary for us to photograph, spend a little class time on editing and taste Ligurian specialties like focaccia, pesto and seafood. Not to mention the crisp white wines of this coastal region.
Overnight: Camogli
Day 7 | Workshop & Farewell
After a farewell breakfast and a brief wrap-up in the workshop room, we get to see each guest’s favorite images from our time together.There’s nothing more satisfying for the workshop leaders than witnessing your amazing results.
Check out ant train with us to Pisa for reluctant goodbyes.
Lucca | San Gimignano
4 days / 3 nights extension
Continue with us to the fabulous walled city of Lucca. Bicycle around top of the wall and its parks. Indulge in regional Tuscan foods and wine.
Meet and photograph local characters.
Spend a day in the charming hill town of Gan Gimignano with its medieval sky scraping towers.
Finish in Pisa or Florence
Overnight: 4 star Hotel San Luca inside the walls (3 nights)
The Workshop
During 25 years organizing photography workshops in Italy, we’ve learned a lot about helping our guests reach their potential.
Truthfully, we’ve learned just as much about what NOT to do. For instance we won’t be standing together to photograph the same thing. Yes we’ll visit some famous locations but then we’ll offer tools to make original images.
Core principles of Italy Workshops are dramatic light, exciting composition and individual creativity. All are skills best learned seeing your own images on the big screen and getting thoughtful feedback. That’s why a little classroom time is important throughout the week.
Finding the right balance of personalized help in the field, free time to shoot alone, and classroom critique is our deepest desire on each trip.
Oh, and great eats.
Classroom Work – Not Just a Photo Tour
One thing that sets Italy Workshops apart from photo tours is seeing your own images reviewed on the big screen throughout the week. It’s invariably the most powerful learning experience to see your own work, along with other guests on screen, accompanied by thoughtful critique and editing as you watch.
Classroom time is limited to 1-2 hour sessions, usually after breakfast. Here we demonstrate specific editing tips that apply to your specific image, not just generic tips for “some other day”.
Watch your images come alive on the big screen and see what other guests photographed, and then you’ll go out each day excited to create.
In the field, we can help you individually with your camera techniques and solve the invariable technical hiccups as they come up.
Sean McFarland
Workshop Leader
Sean McFarland is a veteran landscape instructor at Italy workshops and Utah Photo Workshops.
His day job is Chief Broadcast Engineer for a worldwide network and in his spare time he designs audio/visual broadcast facilities including the largest sports stadiums in the United States. Needless to say there aren’t too many digital questions he can’t fully answer.
You’ll find Sean to be a generous instructor, with the ability to de-mystify digital capture and editing. Sean freely offers his help to each individual as we shoot together in the field and work on images in the classroom.
Based in Utah, his greatest love is photographing and hiking the Southwest canyons, national parks, and the Wasatch mountain range. He has been an integral part of the Italy Workshops team both in Italy and in the U.S. for 10 years.
Mauro Riva
Tour Producer / Guide
Mauro Riva is a professional guide in Italy based in Northern Italy near Venice. He will travel with us all week, sharing his insights about the Liguria Region, its culture and of course its food.
As a photographer himself, Mauro understands your needs. He’ll get you to the right places in the best possible light.
Mauro serves as Director of Operations for Italy Workshops. Having him along is your guarantee of a safe and smooth week of learning.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Type of Camera Should I Bring?
Any camera is acceptable, including smartphones. Automation for the beginner can make the trip fun and stress-free and, at times, increase creativity.
Should I Bring a Computer
Participants who are very comfortable with their computer are encouraged to bring it along. Editing your images during the week can enhance your learning experience. We currently use Adobe Lightroom CC for our on-screen reviews sessions. You will learn new LR editing methods and workflow shortcuts during classroom reviews and critique. Even if you’ve used Lightroom, we highly recommend brushing up before the workshop by watching the free tutorials available on Adobe.com.
If you are not fluent downloading and managing digital images, you might consider leaving the computer behind and just focusing on camera work. You can still submit images daily for review, and perhaps find more time to learn about your camera and develop a discerning eye. (Not to mention sleep happily while others are editing into the night)
Observer Participants may be beginner photographers, attending all instruction and field trips, but not required to submit photos for critique. This is a fun way to learn without pressure. You’ll still photograph the same things and we’ll still want to review your work on the back of your camera and offer individual instruction in the field.
All Skill Levels Are Welcome
Beginner and Intermediate Photographers
We enjoy helping you master those buttons and menus on your camera! Short, daily field lessons will tackle one technique at time. Further individual attention in the field helps you lock in the concepts.
Any camera is welcome (yes, even smartphones!).
Non-photographer partners are welcome to sit in on all discussions and participate at their own level of interest. (Beginners often make some of the best images we see!)
Advanced Photographers
As an advanced photographer you’ll be encouraged to:
- Build your portfolio, adding strong images every single day of the trip.
- Focus on style development, lighting and composition.
- Work in “concentrations” to produce a collection of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project.
You will return home with a body of work suitable for a gallery showing or book project that will express your personal style, as opposed to a random collection of travel photos.
Portofino Coast & Cinque Terre Photo Workshop Reviews
Portofino Coast & Cinque Terre Photo Workshop Dates
Cinque Terre | Ligurian Coast
8 days / 7 nights March 17-24, 2025
Arrive: Meet in Pisa
Depart: Pisa
Tour Group Size: 6-12 guests
Price
$700 / Single Supplement
Included:
Travel
All boat, train and car transportation during the workshop beginning in Genova and ending in Camogli, Italy
Hotels
Six nights accommodations, at 4-star Hotel Cenobio dei Dogi. Register Early, as rooms are assigned by registration date.
Room Upgrade (ask upon registration for availability of suites or balcony rooms)
Meals
Breakfast each day, two dinners and one group lunch.
Workshop
Tuition is also included with daily instruction in the field and on-screen review and critique throughout the week.
Discounts
Alumni Discount $100 off.
Not Included:
- Airfare
- Trip insurance (recommended)
Payment Schedule
- A reservation fee of $500/person will hold your spot
- The balance of payment is due 120 days prior to your workshop/tour
Hotel Rooms
We use hotels rated 3 or 4 stars, always with private bath. Rooms are assigned in order of reservations received, so early signup is recommended. Ask about premium rooms if you would like to upgrade for an additional supplement charge.
Single Private Room Supplements
Fees are based on double occupancy. Single supplement may be added for individual participants who wish to have a private room to themselves. Supplements vary depending on the hotels used, but typically add $450-650 per workshop. If you are traveling alone and wish to share a room with another participant, please let us know and we’ll do our best to match you with a roommate.
Cancellation fee schedule
- Reservation fees are fully refundable for 10 days after your booking.
- After 14 days, reservation fees are non-refundable but may be applied to a future workshop event.
- Cancellations less than 120 days prior to workshop incur a cancellation fee of 25% of the total workshop cost.
- Cancellations less than 60 days prior to workshop incur a cancellation fee of 50% of the total workshop cost.
- Cancellations less than 30 days prior to workshop incur a cancellation fee of 100% of the total workshop cost.
- No partial refunds will be given for unused portions of a workshop.
Travel Insurance
We strongly recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect your investment. Travel Guard or Allianz are good places to start shopping for trip insurance. You can get a free quote online.
Tours Cancelled by Us
Italy Workshops reserves the right to cancel any tour for any reason whatsoever, including insufficient signup, logistical problems that may impede a workshop, hotel closures or acts of God.
Please wait to book your flights until the workshop has reached its minimum enrollment. Give us a call anytime to confirm minimum enrollment.
Refund of all fees paid shall release Italy Workshops from any further liability. Italy Workshops is not responsible for any expenses incurred by workshop participants in preparing for a cancelled workshop. In the case of insufficient signup to make a workshop feasible, notice and refund will be sent 60 days prior to the workshop.
Liability Release
You will be asked to sign a liability waiver before the tour begins, releasing Italy Workshops and any of its agents of liability for injury or loss.
Photo Release
Italy Workshops reserves the right to photograph and film its trips in entirety. Participants should be aware that images of them may be used for promotional purposes or joint marketing efforts with third parties, without remuneration.
