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To an American tourist driving through the winding mountain roads in this small Italian town, the horses grazing and galloping along the valley slopes are icons of beauty - or future champions on a track. To local rancher Davide Travagliati, they are images of meals. And that’s what these horses soon will be.

Residents of Camerino, Italy, a town rattled by four earthquakes in one year, are hopeful they will return to their homes and businesses one day.

Agriturismo, or agriturismi, in Italy is a budding industry in which farmers rent rooms to guests, much like traditional bed and breakfasts. Agriturismo is becoming an increasingly important part of Italy's tourism.

Swirling the sparkling glass of wine ever so delicately, Martina Brescini treats this classic Italian beverage as if it were her child. Breathing in the strong aroma, Brescini’s face glows as she begins to explain the composition of the wine in detail. This is just another workday for the 29-year-old sommelier.

While thousands of tourists are walking through Piazza della Republica marveling at the historic Renaissance buildings this city is famed for, Filippo Venturini is also surrounded by history – but he’s 65 feet beneath them being guided through dark, narrow sandstone tunnels by the slender beam of his headlamp.

Via Raffaello is a relentlessly steep street in this hillside city named for the famed Renaissance artist who called it home as a child. Today a different artist resides here. Leonardo Cartolari doesn’t work with paint. Sugar and flour are his medium, his hands are his brush, and an oven is his canvas. With passion and a love for his craft, Cartolari rises before the sun to create his art.

The sky began to fade as time crept to 9 p.m. at the historic courtyard of the Casa della Poesia. Everything was in place — the rows of chairs filled with eager concertgoers; the grand piano centered at the front, gleaming under the overhead lights. Fifteen opera singers entered the stage in single file, their tuxedos and long dresses creating a sea of color.

In the hustle and bustle of this tourist-filled beach town lies two wooden doors framed by marble. A copper plaque with the words “Le Nuvole,” or clouds, hangs next to them. Walking through the busy alleyways, passersby might think this is just another entrance to a house.

Enrico Luierani has played for rock audiences of thousands all across Italy with his famous band 1 Camillas. He spends nights ripping on his guitar as fans scream in the mosh pits. But on a recent sunny Tuesday, Luierani was in a little house tucked away amongst the trees in this historic hilltop city, teaching drum and guitar to local children.

When eight-year-old Flavia Morelli told her mother she wanted to play bocce, Emanuela Rosetti was shocked and skeptical of the idea. “This isn’t something a girl normally does,” her mother exclaimed with a puzzled look on her face. Ten years later and Rosetti is proud that her daughter fought to pursue what she is passionate about.