Live Streaming from a Tuscan Winery
- Seven hours of continuous live streaming, from one in the afternoon to eight in the evening, with no break in the feed.
- One camera and one operator. A Sony FX9 on a fixed frame, run by me alone.
- Daylight into night in a single unbroken shot. January light, no relight, no interruption.
- Directed from the United States through a video call, with the broadcast pushed out to blogs, radio and YouTube.
- Streamed over the winery's own wifi, with a Starlink terminal standing by as backup.
- January 2026, Altezza Winery, above San Gimignano in Tuscany.
How It Was Made
The Job
In January 2026 I ran a seven-hour live stream from the panoramic terrace of Altezza Winery, above San Gimignano in Tuscany, for the American tour operator Perillo Tours. Steve Perillo presented it himself. I was booked through Go To Team, the American crewing agency that found me for the job.
My Role
I was the only crew on the terrace: camera, lighting, audio and the streaming link were all mine to run. My picture and sound went into a video call to a control room in the United States, which pushed the broadcast out to blogs, radio and YouTube. No reframing was ever needed, so for seven hours my job was exposure and audio levels and nothing else. I never even recorded. The picture existed only as it went out.
The Production
A Sony FX9 with DJI Wireless Pro microphones, lit with a Nanlite Forza 720 and an FS-300, a Godox flexible panel and an Ulanzi 120W, plus my laptop and the interview streaming kit. Half a day to rig and rehearse, then one full day on air. American hours meant going live at one in the afternoon and coming off at eight in the evening, straight through: Steve spoke in blocks of five to eight minutes, with the next connection following immediately. Annamaria retouched makeup between blocks. Camera and lights ran off mains power.
The Challenge
The hard part was January daylight turning into night while the camera never stopped. Between one and eight in the evening the terrace lost every stop of natural light, and I had to carry the picture across that without moving a fixture, without interrupting the feed and without a single relight, working in small corrections between one block and the next. I set the units so they could take over from the sun as it went instead of fighting it. The DJI Wireless Pro microphones held quality and battery for the whole seven hours on one charge, which I had not counted on.
There was no recording. Whatever happened, happened live.
Behind the Scenes
One terrace, one camera and one operator, from the rehearsal in the afternoon light to the last connection after dark.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you live stream from a remote location in Italy?
Yes. In January 2026 I ran a seven-hour live stream from a winery terrace in the hills above San Gimignano, with no studio and no fixed installation. The connection went out over the winery's own wifi, with a Starlink terminal standing by as backup in case it dropped. What a remote location needs is mains power for camera and lights, a way out to the internet with something behind it, and a rig simple enough that one person can hold it steady for hours. Everything else is the same as a studio.
How long can a live stream run with a single operator?
A single operator can carry a live stream for a full working day if the frame is fixed. On the Tuscan winery job I stayed on air for seven hours straight, and because no reframing was ever needed my whole job was exposure and audio levels. What limits a solo live stream is not stamina, it is how often the shot has to change.
What do you need on site for a live broadcast from an Italian location?
A live broadcast from an Italian location needs a camera, a light that can take over when the sun goes, radio microphones, a laptop carrying the call, and mains power for all of it. On the winery terrace I used a Sony FX9, DJI Wireless Pro microphones and Nanlite, Godox and Ulanzi units. There is no recording to fall back on, so everything has to work the first time.
Can a production abroad direct an Italian shoot in real time?
Yes. My picture and sound went into a video call to a control room in the United States, where the producer and the director watched the interview as it happened and asked for what they needed. The same setup works for interviews: the person asking the questions can stay in London or New York while the camera stays in Italy.
Planning a live broadcast from Italy?
If you need a camera, a light and a reliable feed out of an Italian location, wherever it is, let's talk.
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