Your Story of Rome
Tuesday, June 1 to Saturday, June 5, 2010
General Daily Itinerary
Day 0 Tuesday, June 1
Arrive and check in at our hotel, the 3-star Albergo Cesári, ideally located in the centro storico, within walking distance to many important sites (one of those being Jeff’s favorite gelateria, Giolitti). In the early evening, we will meet for a beverage on the hotel’s rooftop terrace as we discuss the three upcoming days. If you’d like, have a glass of wine before dinner as we get to know one another. While we relax and enjoy the evening, Jeff will cover some of the basic ideas and concepts for our time together, looking at the issues of framing and composition, but most importantly, conceptualizing the sort of photographs you’ll make. As you begin to explore Rome, start to think about what interests you. Is it the antiquity? The people? The way the culture embraces food? What about the amazing mix of religious and secular architecture? Take this time to being thinking about how the photographs you make will tell the story you have in your head. We’ll also talk a bit about the editing process we’ll use and give you a bit of assistance in taming the number of images that you’ll need to consider for your story of Rome.
We’ll enjoy dinner Hostaria Romana, a restaurant with typically wonderful
Roman cooking. It’s just a short walk from the hotel. They have a terrific antipasti selection, so you’ll be able to try out many Roman specialties. This restaurant has quite a history, including its role as a stronghold against the Nazis during WWII.
Day 1 Wednesday, June 2
“Chi dorme non piglia pesci,” (translation: “Those who sleep don’t catch any fish”).
We’ll meet at 6:30 and get some glimpses of city as it comes alive, which will
provide a terrific kickoff to your story. Our walk will take us past the
Pantheon, the magnificent ancient temple dating from 125 A.D., and Largo Argentina, where Caesar met his assassins, Brutus and Company. We’ll then take a little detour to visit the colorful Campo di Fiori market, and cross the Ponte Sisto, the elegant Renaissance bridge leading to Trastevere. The area of Trastevere is ideal for a walk through narrow streets, squares and colors that still maintain an authentically Roman character and offers a pleasant contrast with the solemn splendor seen at
the Vatican and the Baroque riots in other places throughout the city. In
antiquity Trastevere – “beyond the Tiber” – was the first district established on the right bank of the Tiber and was
inhabited by artisans, fishermen, merchants and communities of foreigners, connected with the activities of the nearby port.
Sites that should not be missed include the ancient Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere, with the 13th century mosaics by Pietro Cavallini, and of Santa Cecilia, with the touching statue of Cecilia herself, patron saint of music, by Stefano Maderno. To find the magnificence of the Renaissance even in Trastevere, the ideal place is the Villa Farnesina, the suburban villa of wealthy banker Agostino Chigi, containing frescoes by Raphael, Baldassarre Peruzzi and Sebastiano del Piombo.
During the afternoon, you’ll attend an instructional session with Jeff where you’ll learn the basics of using Adobe’s
Lightroom software. This software will be a huge help to you in terms of evaluating and sorting through each
day’s shoot in order to find your best images. You will not only learn the “how to” of Lightroom, but also how having a
greatimage browser and editor at your fingertips gives you creative control.
We’ll enjoy dinner at Pizzeria Montecarlo. A casual place located near Piazza Navona, it offers great pizza and great wines in a fun, noisy atmosphere. A favorite of locals and tourists alike; in fact, Romans voted it as their favorite pizzeria in 2008 and 2009. Montecarlo is a special little place full of Roman spirit, poetry and theatre.
Small group field instruction with Jeff:
- GROUP B 8:30 – 10:30
- GROUP C 11:00 – 1:00
Day 2 Thursday, June 3
We’ll start off today by walking to the heart of ancient Rome, following the Via Fora Imperiale, until we reach
our destinations, the Coliseum and Roman Forum, where we will enter with reserved admission at 8:30 a.m., the earliest
admission allowed. In addition to these areas, your entry allows you into the Palatine Hill area as well. In this zone, there are so many others areas to explore. To name just a few:
- Baths of Caracalla, an enormous bathing complex, very well preserved, with many mosaics still partially intact.
- Imperial Fora, which contain the Forum of Caesar, Forum of Trajan, among others.
- Trajan’s Market, thought to be the first shopping mall
- Capitoline Hill designed by Michelangelo, from whose balcony one can view the Roman Forum
- Santa Maria in Cosmedin, containing the Boca della Veritá and important medieval art
- Santa Maria in Campitelli designed in the late Baroque style
The Pantheon at Night - San Giovanni in Laterano, one of the major basilicas of Rome and considered to be the Pope’s parish church
- Santa Maria Maggiore, another of the five major basilicas, which has a wonderful Byzantine interior.
We’ll escape the heat of midday and spend time working on editing the images you’ve made thus far. Jeff will work individually with you, helping you edit, sort and group your images to begin to create your story. (2:00-6:00)
Enjoy dinner on your own tonight, which will allow you to have more free time to photograph at this time of day and into the evening, or just soak in Rome’s atmosphere. We’ll be sure to provide you with a list of some of our favorite places to either grab a quick bite or enjoy a longer, leisurely experience.
Small group field instruction with Jeff:
- GROUP A 8:30-10:30
- GROUP B 11:00-1:00
Day 3 Friday, June 4
Feel free to get up and photograph as early as you’d like. At 8:30, we’ll meet at
one of Rome’s most famous bars for breakfast, either Tazza d’Oro or Caffé Sant’ Eustachio, to have an authentic Roman
morning meal experience, which
typically consists of a quick stop for a shot or two of caffé (espresso) and a cornetto. Today we’re heading to the centro storico, the historic center. We plan to be at the
Pantheon at opening time: 8:30 a.m. Other highlights in this area include
- Piazza Navona, also referred to as Diocletian’s Stadium, used for allsorts of contests in ancient times;
- Sant’Ivo alla Sapienza by Borromini, one of the most architecturally unique churches in the city;
- Santa Maria Sopra Minerva, the only Gothic church in Rome. It contains (most of) the remains of St. Catherine ofSiena and its exterior is grace by one of Bernini’s most famous works.
- Sant’Ignazio and Piazza Sant’Ignazio, the base of theJesuits and the Counter-Reformation
- Via Giulia, home to many lovely antique shops, exclusive apartments, and a graceful archway draped with vines, designed by Michelangelo.
- Campo dei Fiori, the lively fruit and vegetable market during the day
- Palazzo Farnese, designed by Michelangelo and now the French Embassy
Small group field instruction with Jeff:
- GROUP C in the early a.m., 8:30-10:30
- GROUP A in the late a.m. 11:00-1:00
We’ll spend the heat of the day preparing a final edit of our work, culling out
the best of the best images in an effort to tell your story of Rome.
Dinner at Il Buco Ristorante Toscano, one of Jeff’s
favorite places in all of Italy, to celebrate your stories of Rome.
