Franco Rubini put his hands over his ears in order to describe his experience at Sunday’s NASCAR event in Richmond. “Very loud!” he said. “Good people watching.” Rubini, a photographer from Este, a northern Italian town that is one of Fredericksburg’s sister cities, is spending most of April in the Fredericksburg area hoping to experience and capture slices of American life.

His visit is part of an artist exchange program established by the Fredericksburg–Este Association to “join our art together,” Rubino explained. Last year, Fredericksburg artist Cathy Herndon spent time in Este, where she stayed with Rubini’s family.