Guiding a Landscape Photographer from Australia to Sunrise and Sunset near Lucca

Brenton Jones is a landscape photographer from Australia, and photography is his job as well as his hobby. He was spending three days in Lucca at the end of September 2026, and he found my site while looking for somewhere to photograph sunrise and sunset near Lucca. The cover and the galleries are his photographs. The three of him at work are mine.

What he asked for

He wanted to shoot sunrise and sunset in a part of Tuscany most tourists don’t get to see. He’d already picked the aqueduct from my site, so that became the sunset, and for the sunrise we went up to the Apennine crest above Lago Scaffaiolo. My part was the timing, getting him to the right spot early enough to set up and wait for the light.

First light above Lago Scaffaiolo

The path to Lago Scaffaiolo runs along the border between Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna, on open grass with no trees in the way. When the sun comes up, turn round. The far peaks behind you go pink while the slope under your feet is still grey.

Brenton shot the lake facing the sunrise, with the sun coming up in a gap between the slopes. The low shrubs on the ridge had already turned red, and the valleys below were full of haze.

Photographs © Brenton Jones, used with permission.

The card below shows the hike as I usually run it, in daylight. If you’d like the sunrise, tell me when you book and we’ll plan the start around it.

Private guided hike

Lago Scaffaiolo

Once you’re up, the path runs along a broad, grassy crest to the lake, with Tuscany on one side and Emilia-Romagna on the other.

• About 6 hours
• €240 per group
• Shorter or longer day on request

Medium · 9.5 km (5.9 mi) · 370 m (1,214 ft) ascent

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Sunset at the Nottolini aqueduct

The Nottolini aqueduct carried spring water into Lucca on about 460 arches, and the walk keeps going past the last arch to the springs in the woods. Brenton’s first frame below is the Tempietto di Guamo, with the low evening sun across the grass and the arches running off behind it. The other two are from the springs, where old stone channels run through the trees.

Photographs © Brenton Jones, used with permission.

Private guided hike

Nottolini Aqueduct

The aqueduct doubles as a sundial. Once a day the light runs straight down its corridor of arches, at a time that shifts through the year.

• About 3 hours
• €165 per group
• Reachable by train
• Longer route to a view over Lucca, on request

Easy · 9.1 km (5.7 mi) · 50 m (164 ft) ascent

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Brenton at work

My photographs of Brenton at work.

Brenton wrote up the sunrise from his side on his own blog, in Golden Light and Crimson Hills. His landscapes and his commercial work are at brentonjonesimages.com.

Planning a sunrise and a sunset near Lucca

• At the end of September the sun comes up on the ridge at about ten past seven, and in Lucca it sets a few minutes after seven in the evening.
• The crest is open to the wind. Bring a headtorch for the walk up in the dark and warm layers for the wait at the top.
• The pink on the far peaks doesn’t last long, so be set up before the sun clears the horizon.
• Check the mountain forecast for the ridge, because the crest can sit in cloud while Lucca is clear.
• The aqueduct starts a short walk from Lucca station, so a sunset there fits at the end of a day spent somewhere else.