Description

We’re Going Back to Italy!

Back by popular demand, join professional, award winning photographers, Me Ra Koh, and her husband, Brian Tausend for a 9-Day Photography Workshop and Culinary Tour of Italy!

This an EPIC, dream, bucket list photography workshop and culinary tour of Italy!  Each day Me Ra and Brian will bring hands-on instruction and teach you how to see the light (and the light is so beautiful in Italy!). Italy and all its beauty, history and scenery will romance your senses, while Me Ra and Brian empower you to capture your unforgettable journey. Our reviews are the greatest evidence of how much you’re going to LOVE this experience!

Restore

We have all been through so much since our last Portrait of the World workshop. The theme of this 9 days is RESTORE. To have your JOY restored from more laughing than you can even imagine! To have your CREATIVITY restored with inspirational, daily photography lessons and exercises for every level! To have your sense of WONDER restored by the people, landscape and culinary magic of Italy! If your heart and soul are in need of deep restoration, get ready to be FILLED UP!

Explore

The group will start with Me Ra’s favorite city: Rome. Fall in love again as you stroll through the winding alleyways of the Eternal City.  Me Ra and Brian are also going to whisk you away to some of their favorite off-the-beaten path medieval villages that you won’t find in travel books!  You could spend hours in these villages photographing a hundred different painted doors.  It is the stuff of dreams!  We’ll spend an afternoon taking a private cooking class at a castle with the Count’s chef–someone you won’t forget.  Photographing the rolling hills of Tuscany and beautiful, patchwork vineyards! Then we’ll make our way to Brian’s favorite city; Florence.  Learn about the Renaissance Art period, as you capture the cobblestone romance of Florence.  We’ll end our trip with a day of getting lost in the winding alleyways of Venice–the only way to experience Venice’s magic! And a NEW addition is our day trip to experience the colors of Burano island! You will not be able to put your camera down.

All levels of photography are welcome. Limited to 15 Attendees.  This 9-Day Photography Workshop Tour of Italy is a dream trip!  They LOVE Italy and can’t wait for you to fall in love with Italy too!

Photograph

This photography workshop and culinary tour of Italy is designed for all levels of photography. Me Ra and Brian have been teaching photography workshops and traveling abroad for almost two decades! Me Ra is also one of the original select Sony Artisans of Imagery, inspiring both beginners and pros. Whether you are a newbie who simply loves taking photos or a pro wanting to be creatively refreshed, they will take you to new levels with your camera proficiency and creativity while exploring the most gorgeous areas of northern Italy. Photograph the oldest food market in Italy, hanging laundry in medieval villages (where else would laundry be romantic?! ITALY!!), the rolling hills of Tuscany! And everyone always loves learning to shoot for the stars with Brian, as they move across the castle’s night sky!

Spouses, Adult Kids, or BFFs

If your spouse, adult kid or friend is not a photographer but wants to experience Italy, they are more than welcome to join us!  In fact, we have special plans for them too!  It’s a photography workshop and culinary tour of Italy that you will never forget! (Trust us, they ALWAYS end up falling in love with taking photos! You can’t help it! It’s ITALY!!)

Rest and Savor

We will sleep in castles, 4 star hotels, and more!  Most nights will be a 4-course dinner to experience the different flavors of northern Italy regions.  The wine is the BEST you’ve ever had!  Learn interesting historical facts from Brian who has been studying the Italian Renaissance for years.  The locals have sung his praises on their history! Literally! LOL!

And we also promise you will laugh more than you ever thought possible.

Limited to 15 people.

Note: Me Ra and Brian’s Portrait of the World Photography Workshop Tours tend to fill up early so we recommend booking well in advance with a $1,000 deposit to reserve your spot. For more details about payments see terms for Travel & Portrait of the World Workshops.

Investment

You are welcome to pay the full Early Bird amount at once. Or you also have the option of reserving your spot with a $1000 non-refundable deposit, making two payments or four payments. If you need a custom payment plan, feel free to email us at info@fioria.us. But the trip must be paid in full by March 2023.

*PLEASE NOTE: Reservations and deposits for our group must be paid well in advance. Your $1000 deposit is non-refundable unless we are able to book someone in place of you. For more details about payments see terms for Travel & Portrait of the World Workshops.

Dates & Details

Saturday, April 26th to Sunday, May 4th 2025

Plan to arrive in Rome on Saturday, April 26th, with plenty of time for our Welcome Dinner!

Depart from Venice on Sunday, May 9th:  UNLESS, you’re interested in staying another day for a special Rising Phoenix Experience in Venice! 🙂 LMK if you’re interested in details!

In the past, people have also taken the train or a quick flight back to Rome and departed from there too!

Camera Gear to Bring and Other Travel Tips

We’ll be doing a couple zoom calls before the trip to go over camera gear and other helpful travel tips. Get your passport renewed ASAP so you don’t run into any unexpected expired passport issues.

Accommodations and Itinerary

Once hotels are secured, we’ll do a zoom call with the juicy details of exact locations!

*If you’d like a private room throughout the trip, there is an extra up charge. Let us know, and we’ll email you the price for that. Otherwise, we’ll be pairing attendees up with each other. If there is someone you already know that you’d like to room with, just let us know!

Meals…get ready to Eatly!

Breakfast provided at wherever we’re staying.  Most dinners are included. These will be 4-Course dinners inspired by the regional cuisine and wine. (AWE-MAZING!) We saved a couple dinners to be on your own as a chance to explore or take a break from eating so much! LOL! Lunches are on your own and often in the medieval village we’re photographing that day. Gelato is on your own too! LOL! You can compete with Brian to try EVERY gelato place we pass. Ha! (This trip is dreamy, dreamy, DREAMY in EVERY WAY! The Culinary aspect is incredible! We are so EXCITED for you to come!)

FAQ

Q: Is the airfare included?

A: Airfare is not included.

Q: What other expenses should I plan for?

A: Daily lunches, one or two dinners, spending money, tipping if you feel inclined to tip our driver, transportation at the end of the trip from Venice hotel to airport (it’s very close), and/or a museum pass if you want to do that in Florence. Everything else is covered; transportation throughout the trip (except to departure airport), 4 course dinners, breakfasts, our guide in Florence, etc. Most the time, we eat lunch spontaneously in the village we are photographing. Whether it’s a scrumptious plate of AMAZING pasta or a slice of pizza or yummy salad or Brian convinces you to get another scoop of gelato! The 4 course dinners are so filling that sometimes people skip lunch too. LOL

Q: Are we taking a van, bus, train?

We have a private shuttle that becomes the “party van”. LOL And then we love to take our group from Florence to Venice by train because walking out of the train station in Venice is PURE MAGIC!!!! It’s the most AWE-mazing train station in the world!

Q: What will I love shopping for?

A: Ohhhhhhh, let me count the ways! Florence is famous for their leather purses, bags, belts, and shoes! And it’s so reasonably priced! We’ll also be taking you to an ancient market in Rome where we always buy a year’s supply of pasta, spices and olive oil! The medieval villages off the beaten path have little treasures that may call to you. Venice is known for it’s blown glass. Gelato, gelato, gelato! Definitely plan for extra room to store all your treasures, or buy an extra suitcase in Florence! We have! LOL!