Domenica Marchetti is our favorite food writer, particularly on Italy. Her familial roots are in Abruzzo. At a time when so much food writing seems to be just shallow hyperbole or about cooking viewed as competitive sport, Marchetti's  writing and  cookbooks  explore what's essential about cuisine. She has teamed with Abruzzo Presto!, run by Michael & Nancy Morizio, who live part of each year in Abruzzo to create culinary and cultural tours that we recommend without reservation. Michael Morizio's roots are in Abruzzo and he and Nancy have been living in and visiting the region for close to twenty years. They are serious students of history and art, with backgrounds in music. The tours they create are intimate (a maximum of 10 people), allow their guests to experience Abruzzo's singular cultural and geographic diversity, and permit the kind of experiences one simply doesn't find on a large package tour. With Michael and Nancy, personal relationships are formed - not just between them and their guests, but more significantly with the people of Abruzzo: its artisans, shepherds, farmers, wine and cheese makers and cooks. Domenica and the Morizios take as gospel our belief that cuisine is a window on culture, an enjoyable, rewarding way to come to know a people and their way of life. They proffer something precious to us with the kind of care and respect that serves the region and its people.