Green, yellow, brown—these colors embrace you as you stroll through the countryside of Puglia. The eye is drawn to vivid hues under a brilliant sun: if you look closely, you can see the furrowed brows of those kissed by hard labor as if it were the sun, their rough hands tilling the soil. The rustle of wheat fills emerald fields in spring, which turn into gold by summer.

The land is strong and rich, crumbling between your fingers. The sky swathes stretches of olive and almond trees, dotted with dry stone walls, in a deep blue. Joe Vitone reflects, “When I’m here, appreciating beauty comes easy; it doesn’t need a deep connection to a local family or culture. Beauty meets you on the street, it’s present everywhere.”