Keen Perspective

Keen Perspective

Shadows of Matera

A summer vignette from Italy

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Brendan Keen
Sep 03, 2025
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Photo by Brendan Keen. Matera, 2025.

Peperone crusco — a sweet chili, dried in the sun, and flash fried in olive oil. It’s crisp, light, and mild; transformed from vegetable to arid snack. It’s a dish that speaks more to process than product; a ghost of the original pepper.

The caves of Matera hold the designation of being the oldest continually inhabited…

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