Alfandega da Fe is an agricultural and livestock region in Tras-os-Montes, northeast Portugal. The lower part, namely Santa Justa, close to the Vilarica valley, is especially suitable for producing stone fruits, such as cherries and peaches, given the fertility of the soils, the abundance of water and the cold winters and hot summers.

Passing through Santa Justa last week, on the morning of a beautiful winter sunny day, I was impressed by this large peach orchard. I was attracted by the geometry, regularity and undulation of the terraces, with the small trees meticulously pruned for the best production of peaches.

Seen from a distance, the scenery, green on the left side and brownish-green on the centre and right side, illustrates well how we can modify the landscape to our advantage. The high visual quality of this landscape shows that it is possible to combine and conciliate economy (agriculture) with aesthetics.

The moment was captured with a Hasselblad H3D and its excellent sensor. Three successive images were combined with Hugin Panorama Stitcher, an Open Source software initially developed by Pablo d’Angelo.