By GAIL FOWLER
For the Daily News

One evening Luca said, “I know why you live in Belhaven. It’s the sunset.”

Luca, a young farmer in Italy, spent his winter vacation as a volunteer for Workaway, an organization that links volunteer workers with hosts in exchange for room and board and some time off for travel. Alan and I were so fortunate to have him choose five weeks at our bed and breakfast in little old Belhaven, N.C. — far from city lights, mass transportation and just about everything. Lucky for us, he lives in a small village and had already spent time in Miami, Orlando, Philadelphia and New York City.

We loved our hosting experience, and our dog Maya gave Luca her four-paw stamp of approval. Our guests were charmed by his accent, his smile and the artistry he added to their breakfast plates, shaping fruit into butterflies, flowers, happy faces and abstract arrangements. It made everyone smile (even before the first cup of coffee was poured).

Before he left to return home, he sent me a series of sunset photos that he called, “Thousand Colours in Belhaven.” A thousand colors is a fitting gift for Belhaven to give, as Luca fills his backpack of cultural and other experiences he gained on his first trip to the United States. But the gifts he leaves behind are just as enduring.

He helped us see our own world differently, sharing his vision for a healthier, more organic world, filled with natural artistry, like spectacular sunsets. He showed us how to tread lightly through the world by carrying everything he needed on his back. Simply, a thousand colors of Luca.

I envision wandering into Luca’s village of Alessandria one day, unexpected. As in any truly small American town, I can ask the first person I meet to direct me to Luca’s farm. “Puoi indirizzarmi a Luca’s farm?” And that is where I find him, farming his own way, smiling like the thousand colors of Belhaven.

Be well, Luca. The world needs you.

Gail Fowler is the owner of Between Water & Main Bed and Breakfast in Belhaven and also runs her own yoga studio, YoGail. 

 

Editor’s note: Mike Godley, of Bath, and Tom Van Staalduinen, owner of Petals and Produce, showed Luca around their farming operations during his visit.