This September, my wife and I had the opportunity to take a two week trip through Italy. It was incredible and we got some amazing drone footage! We had both been to Italy before, but I had never been to Rome and she had never been to Tuscany, so it worked out perfectly. This trip was what inspired us to start Volare (Italian for “to fly”).
It was our first time traveling with our drone and shooting abroad. Before we left, we researched the drone laws and found them pretty similar to the USA’s FAA laws (not near airports, not over people, etc.). Most of our trip was in the middle of the Tuscan countryside, so it worked out well.
Here is a brief rundown of each location featured in the video (in order of appearance):
Montalcino
The intro shot flying through the vineyard was at our agriturismo, Piombaia, in Montalcino (like a Bed & Breakfast but with a working farm/vineyard). It was a rustic, quaint little place with an amazing restaurant on-site that we ate at several times throughout our stay there.
Civita Di Bagnoregio
The tiny town on the plateau is Civita Di Bagnoregio – one of the neatest and most charming towns we’ve ever visited. The only access is via the very long walkway from the neighboring town and the city has a population of about 7 residents. We stayed at one of the few B&B’s in the city, called Corte Della Maestra. I cannot recommend this place enough – the hostess was incredibly gracious, the room was immaculate, and the whole B&B was perfect. The drone shot is so short because the wind was very strong and I was afraid I would lose it!
Abbey of St. Antimo
This former Benedictine monastery was near our agriturismo in Montalcino. Its origins are a little obscure, but possibly date to the time of Charlemagne. It was perfectly situated between hills and vineyards, which made for amazing drone shots right at sunset.
Florence
Our AirBnb (Toccando il Duomo con un Dito) had a private terrace in the heart of Florence right next to the Duomo. Even though it was a little risky, I couldn’t resist taking the drone up a few feet to film it at sunset while my wife was sipping on some wine. The view was indescribable.
Chianti
On our way from Montalcino to Florence, we stopped at several wineries and had a few tastings. All the grapes were in season, so there were plenty of bunches hanging off the vines. The wine was incredible and the layout of this vineyard made for a perfect drone flyover.
Vernazza, Cinque Terre
Neither of us had ever been to Cinque Terre and it did not disappoint. We visited each of the five towns and loved each one’s unique look and feel. We stayed in the town of Vernazza and arrived at sunset. I pulled out the drone and captured the beautiful sunset shots of the town and sailboats.