The rural world is inhabited by many beings. Perhaps the first to come to mind are the green ones - in the various shades that spring brings us: the pastures, the sprouting plants, the trees that take root and are connected by an extensive and complex layer, alive under our feet. The flowers appear later, when the rains are still falling but the heat is already being felt. They vibrate in different colours that enchant us with their delicacy and almost rare aromas. We first feel the water in the distance, in the sound that spreads through the valleys and hillsides; only then do we feel the freshness that flows from it, giving life to everything that pulses. Then, with a closer look, the insects, which walk and fly among the organic materials of the landscape in which they also live. Birds appear at the crossroads of our gaze, between one tree and another, or in flight, with colourful, flowery feathers and recognisable sounds. And wild animals surprise us when they reveal themselves to the naked eye.

When we arrive in the village of Idanha-a-Velha, we come across the stones, many of which have been assembled and reassembled over the centuries, serving each era. It is among these stones, and all the life that surrounds them, that we meet the people of this place. People who live, inhabit and coexist with the landscape that surrounds them.

In this second edition of Pela Terra, we delved even deeper into all these layers of the rural world, but it was in the village, and with those who inhabit it, that we exchanged more life and coexistence. We listened more carefully to their stories, memories and daily lives. Their names became familiar and their routines closer to our own. We learnt that the more we connect with the village, the closer we get to the landscape. We realised that life among us is intimately linked to life around us. And that it is in this reality that we coexist. Together.

Happy spring in Idanha-a-Velha.

Bem haja.