But in February, the scenery changes. An expansive empty landscape is covered in thick snow. The wind is sharp and icy. Crops become icicles. The town is calm with locals sipping Caffè Corretto and chewing cured meats.
Shooting here was always on the cards. Our founder's father had come here when he was a young man to wild camp and paraglide. The town and surrounding countryside has a special significance.
Up on the mountainside, the enormity of the landscape is impressed on you. The backdrop is like mars. With the humbling icy wind penetrating your layers, you are acutely aware of nature and its brutal beauty.
Down below, the remains of the 2016 earthquake are still plain for all to see. Wrecked, crumbled stone homes remain in a sort of purgatory between being functional and demolished. The jagged edges stick out sharply.
Here in Casteluccio, just 3 hours from Italy's capital, nature is fierce but awe-inspiring.