Rapa Iti. A beautiful volcanic island, which can only be reached from time to time by crossing the Pacific Ocean from Tahiti. A dot on the map that Jaume Bartrolí wanted to set foot on. He wanted to put a face to it and meet its people. And he ended up living there for a few months, turning it into a place where every day, with his memories, he returns mentally. “I was looking for the most original, the best-preserved Polynesia. It was a craving I had. Islands have always attracted me and I was looking for a place where local culture was maintained. I looked at an island near Fiji, some in the Solomon Islands... in the end Rapa Iti seemed like the best option. It wasn't a flat island, here the landscape invited you to discover it. A place with a colder temperature because it is further south, halfway between Easter Island and Tahiti. I had to go”. No sooner said than done.

From the airplane window, shortly before landing in Papeete, Tahiti, you can already make out some of the islets that make up the Society Islands archipelago. It is one of the five island groups that make up French Polynesia, a French overseas territory. As soon as you step into Faa'a International Airport, you receive your first taste of Polynesian hospitality: travelers are welcomed to the rhythm of ukuleles and presented with tiare necklaces (Gardenia tahitensis), an aromatic flower that has also been used for medicinal purposes for over two thousand years.