Beautiful Tuscany

Helmut Plamper, who has lived in Tuscany for about four years has invited FotoTV along to view some of the most beautiful scenic spots in and around Tuscany.

The photo-tour begins in majestic Montefelonico, which is near Montepulciano. Of particular interest here is the Hotel La Costa, which Plamper calls the “Photo Hotel,” because of its convenient location and the amazing panorama that can be photographed directly from the hotel window by good visibility.

Plamper explains that the wonderful landscape colors, tones of brown and green, not only result from the soil quality, but also from the artists of Tuscany. “They are artists that cultivate the fields with their tractors,” he quips. “And when the soil has been freshly plowed you see the dark soil, which results marvelously, in what the Americans term, “Pattern Shots.” You can’t find this great aspect anywhere as good as here in Tuscany.”

Tuscany has an abundance to offer, with its many photogenic scenes, and rolling landscape. Some of the other notable tour stops included, but were not limited to, Crete Senesi, Val Dorccia, Belvedere, and San Quirico.

On the road, San Quirico to Pienza, there is the admired Chapel Daveta Leta; it is a popular photo motif in Tuscany. Most impressive in the area are the many newly planted cypress trees. Plamper explains that a couple of decades prior there was a mass number of cypress tree deaths, due to a type of tree canker disease. And in the meantime many cypress trees have been reforested in an attempt to resurrect the original scene of Tuscany, to ensure magnificent cypress tree scenery that the people of Tuscany and photo-enthusiasts alike, love so well.

Plamper gives useful information on traveling to and from Tuscany, as well as insider tips, and ideal times to photograph specific areas and locations there, around the year.