Rome Slow Photography Retreat with Rochelle Cheever in Rome, Metropolitan City of Rome, Italy (2024)

Arriving in Rome on Saturday Rochelle will be waiting to welcome you at our home for the week in central Rome with a glass of Prosecco or strong espresso, depending on what you need!

Enjoy time to settle in, relax and recover from the journey. Rochelle will enjoy having a conversation with you about your photography journey and your hopes and expectations for the retreat.

If you have time in the afternoon, take a stroll in the neighbourhood to get acquainted with your surrounding s before we enjoy our first dinner together at home prepared by our private chef.

On our first full day in Rome together we will dive right in. By the end of the day you will surely feel immersed in the historic life of Rome!

Whether this is your first time in Rome or you are a regular visitor, it is always awe inspiring to visit Romes iconic cultural treasures.

A private guide will lead us on a walking tour of some of the most famous sites associated with Rome. This will not however be a tourist trap trudge around the city. Our guide will bring to life the history of Rome's icons as we take plenty of time to photograph and be fully present in the moment, soaking up the atmosphere.

First we will encounter the Forum, one of the most spectacular sights in Rome — a vast, ruin-filled area that speaks to the glory days of the Roman Empire. It’s one of the most-photographed — and photogenic — areas of Rome, and it’s worth several hours of our time.

The Forum is the low-lying area between the Capitoline and Palatine hills — two of the famous seven hills of Rome and grew from swampy no-man’s land to the political, social, and religious heart of the ancient city. Temples, courts of law, government halls, and public assembly areas were all in the Forum.

Ruins at the Roman Forum are spread over nearly a thousand years of history, testament to the longevity and might of the of the Roman Empire.

Next we will be sure to stop at the Colosseum, the iconic symbol of the once powerful Roman empire since Emperor Vespasian commissioned its construction nearly two thousand years ago. In the years since, the giant amphitheatre has survived every catastrophe the world has thrown at it. Not even the fall of the Roman Empire, or the millions of tourists who now visit it every year has brought it down.

After a well deserved lunch together, finally we will pass by the Trajan's market on our way home. Perhaps our personal favorite of all of Romes iconic sites, it is considered to be Rome’s first “shopping center”. The complex, made of red brick and concrete, had six levels in which there was once up to 150 different shops and apartments.

Enjoy a free evening to relax and recover perhaps taking an Aperitivo or dinner in one of may of Romes authentic 'Trattoria' that we can recommend.

After a big of day of soaking up the history of Rome, today we will have fun exploring the gourmet side of contemporary Roman life.

If like us you can never have enough Italian food, today will be heaven as we go on a guided foodie tour of a local market where you can try organic Italian delights such as Pecorino Romano cheese or freshly made pasta, not forgetting of course a glass of local wine from the hills surrounding Rome.

In the afternoon we will feed the soul on Renaissance art at The Galleria Borghese, one of our favorite galleries in Rome. Housed in the former Villa Borghese Pinciana set in the middle of the delightful Borghese gardens in the heart of Rome, it is a perfect place to spend some peaceful moments in the heart of the frenetic city.

Staying in Rome and not visiting Vatican is like not trying a pizza or ice-cream when in Italy!

In the morning we set out towards Trastevere and reach the huge St. Peter’s Square. Ambling across Ponte Sant’Angelo, we will see the Castle Sant’Angelo, which received its' name since It’s here that an angel appeared to Pope Gregory the Great.

Across the river lies the sovereign state of the Vatican City, the home of the Catholic Church and the residence of the Pope. Perhaps no Rome trips are complete without a private guided tour of this spiritual sanctuary. Learn how spiritual authority turned into secular power while exploring the enthralling Vatican Museums and gaze upon the remarkable works that lie within them.

From the incredible, hallowed ceiling of the Sistine Chapel to the renowned Renaissance stylings of Saint Peter’s Basilica, the Vatican City is an ode to Catholicism. This is sure to be a divine encounter! After, enjoy lunch beneath the stunning walls of the Pinecone Courtyard. From this side the Vatican welcomes visitors from the entire world with its arms wide open.

Today we will give have the opportunity to experience one-of-a-kind Guided Wine Tour of one of the famous Frascati Wine vineyards, a short distance outside of Rome. We will also have a chance to enjoy a fun Pasta Making Class or Pizza class with the family Chef at the vineyard if you have culinary ambitions!

At the vineyard the owners will take us on atour across the old vineyards, to show us the same ancient farming techniques that the family has been adopting for centuries. Travel into the past of the winemaking, listening to the stories and experiences of this historic land surrounded by ancient vineyards and olive groves.

We will visit the old wine cellar of the wine farmhouse, where we will be introduced to the secrets and the historic wine-making processes of the famous Frascati wine.

We will be guided you through a wine tasting of the three wines of the family production: the famous Frascati Superiore DOCG white wine, the Vagnolo IGP red wine, as well as the Frascati DOC White Wine.

We will also have an Oil tasting of the family’s Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

All of the wines will be paired with a Lunch served directly at the farmhouse.

We will join the chef as she prepares the pasta for lunch, learning the traditional art of real Italian pasta making!

At the end of the lunch you will be driven back to Frascati center, where can walk off lunch exploring this pretty Roman town.

Today we will venture out of the centre of Rome again to relive a piece of ancient Rome history, immersing ourselves in this unique archaeological site on an unforgettable tour.

The tour allows us to visit in depth a good part of this extraordinary archaeological site that covers about 50 hectares, in which ancient ruins and nature merge to create suggestive landscapes.

Founded according to tradition by King Anco Marzio in a strategic area from the military and commercial point of view, Ostia was the first Roman colony, port of the city of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber river.

Along the way you will be able to observe the grandiose theater dating back to the Augustan era, the Baths of Neptune and its mythological mosaics, the remains of the imposing Capitolium that towers over the Piazza del Foro and the famous insulae and tabernae.

A unique archaeological site in the world where it is really possible to relive the daily life of the ancient Romans in a chronological span of 8 centuries.

On the last day of our time together we want to take it slow with a refreshing and relaxing day before your journey back home. That's why today we propose taking you to see this historical and natural park in the heart of the Roman countryside.

The park has an area of 105 hectares (260 acres), and contains medieval ruins, several oaks, cypresses and poplars, grassy meadows, a wide range of exotic plants from various parts of the world, numerous watercourses and a large variety of rambling roses growing over the stone walls of the ruin.

A beautiful place to spend the day with the camera.

Returning to Rome central in the afternoon you'll have time for dinner in the city for the last time.