Langhe and Barolo hills Photography Workshop
Farmlands, Barolo's Vineyards and Castles in Piedmont
Here in the rural plains and the hills of Piedmont you might miss the majestic views and the wilderness of the Alps, but you gain an entirely different world of small, romantic, enchanted scenarios.
A simple line of trees running along a ditch in the vast expanse of the Po Valley, the repeating patterns and textures of the vineyards of Barolo, La Morra and Serralunga, a lonely farmhouse or a medieval castle atop a slope in the Langhe hills.
I believe that framing a beautiful composition out of a relatively busy scene or in a place that might not look very attractive at a first glance, can often be a much more difficult task - and thus more rewarding - than photographing the grand vistas landscape photographers always dream of. The country side is simply the ideal playground for photographers who want to spark their creativity and bring their vision to another level.
Main Shooting Locations
La Morra
Placed on a dominant position atop one of the highest hills in the heart of the Langhe hills region, from this small town is possible to enjoy and photograph a 360 degrees view on the vineyards of Barolo, Novello, Monforte d'Alba and La Morra itself.
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The rural scenes of the Po Valley
A vast expanse of farm lands, fields and fields of crops of every kind, sparse trees, dirt roads and scattered farm houses. The country is the place where nature and the hand of man melt together, producing sometimes harmonious landscapes and quiet rural scenes.
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Castle of Racconigi
The Royal Castle of Racconigi is a palace and landscape park in Racconigi, province of Cuneo, Italy. It was the official residence of the Carignano line of the House of Savoy, and is one of the Residences of the Royal House of Savoy included by UNESCO in the World Heritage Sites list. The park of the castle features amazing trees, some of them older than 400 years.
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Sacra di San Michele
The Sacra di San Michele, sometimes known as Saint Michael's Abbey, a 10th-12th century religious complex situated on the south side of the Susa Valley overlooking the small town of Avigliana and Chiusa di San Michele.
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Castle of Pralormo
Not far from Montalcino, surrounded by the vineyards of Brunello, the worldwide renown red wine, lies the incredibly old Abbey of Sant'Antimo, founded in the VIII century by Charlemagne. T
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Castle of Serralunga
On the crest of the hill overlooking the town and the surrounding vineyards stands Serralunga Castle. One is immediately struck by the steepness and height of its Gothic architecture. The fortification contains two asymmetrical towers, one cylindrical and one square, and a turret roof. From the time of its construction (XIV century) up to the present day, very few alterations have been made. Fortunately, the castle suffered no serious damage from battles.
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The Po River banks
The bank of the Po, the longest and largest Italian river, nearby Carignano, a small town about 20 kms south of Turin. This location is just 15-20 minutes far from where I live and I can say I almost know each single tree, stone and blade of grass of it. I love this place, as it's very peaceful and rich with mood at every hour of the day and night, and it's for me like a gold mine for photographic opportunities.
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Example of a typical
day in the field
Sunrise and early morning
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Wake up about 30-40 minutes before dawn. We will shoot the sun rising from the early morning mist in the country side nearby the B&B. We will scout the area for about 1-2 hours looking for some beautiful rural scenery.
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rest of the morning
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Later on we will take the car and with a 20 minutes trip we will get to the banks of the Po river nearby the town of Carignano. We will spend the rest of the morning at this location shooting the river banks with its beautiful lines of poplar trees and the Alps range in the foreground, and we will also focus on water reflections and small scenes such as leaves in the water, emerging logs and poles, etc.
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Afternoon
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Right after lunch, with a transfer by car of about one and a half hour we will get to the Langhe hills. We will spend the whole afternoon shooting these amazing landscapes in the vineyards of Barolo and La Morra.
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Sunset
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About one hour before sunset we will get to the small village of Serralunga, lying atop a hill and dominated by the imposing Castle of Serralunga, a wonderful fortress built in the fourteenth century. We will shoot the sun setting behind the Langhe with the Castle as the main subjects and the vineyards of Barolo in the foreground.
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Looking for more images?
Check my photo portfolio online for hundreds of images from this and other areas of Italy - Click the image below.
About your Photography Instructor
Ciao! My name is Paolo.
I have been a full-time professional landscape, nature, travel and architecture photographer since 2007. Since then, I have planned and led hundreds of private one-to-one and small groups photo workshops and tours in some of the best looking regions and cities of Italy and France.
My pictures have appeared in calendars, books, travel magazines, brochures and as wall art in offices, hotels, restaurants and corporate venues. For more info please click here
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