Your Tour Leaders:

Luciana and Michael will personally escort you and share with you their stories and passion for Abruzzo. Come with us and be part of traditional Italian village life; embrace the warmth of its people and country…Share in the love and passion of an Abruzzese for her Abruzzo…

Luciana Masci

Born in Brisbane, Australia to Italian parents, from the village of Ripa Teatina, Abruzzo. Her Abruzzese heritage and cultural ties have remained strong with frequent visits to Italy and to her extended family still in Abruzzo.

This has served to only deepen her appreciation of the region's wonderful cuisine and rich folklore embedded in tradition and the seasons and often, in superstition and mystery. Fluent in the Abruzzese dialect and Italian, she has taught Italian Language and Cooking in Brisbane. Also a Tour Guide since World Expo 1988 in Brisbane, she has shown many inbound Italian tourists and incentive groups the sights of Brisbane and Australia.

After a long and rewarding career as a physiotherapist, she is now following her other passions. She is currently collecting and researching recipes for an anthology of Abruzzese recipes. It is now time for Luciana to share the treasures of Abruzzo with others and discover this little known corner of central Italy.

Michael Howard

Born in Brisbane, Australia, Michael's career as an operatic tenor has taken him all over the world including the most important opera houses of his favourite country Italy. Michael shares Luciana's passion for Abruzzo and between international engagements joins her in leading the tours and singing private concerts of wonderful Italian songs for the tour guests.

Michael graduated from the New South Wales Conservatorium in Sydney in 1986. After winning several national and international singing competitions, he was engaged by the Augsburg Opera, in Germany as principal lyric tenor until 1992. After his success at La Scala Milan in 1997 where he made his role debut as Andres in Berg's "Wozzeck", Michael Howard was invited to return in 1999 and in 2000 in the Strauss operas "Frau ohne Schatten" and "Ariadne auf Naxos". He also debuted at the Roma Opera as Mime in Wagner's "Ring" and sang the same role in the Ring Cycle under the late Maestro Sinopoli and Adam Fisher at the Bayreuth Festival, Germany. Michael has recently returned from the Geneva Opera 2009 season performing in "Salome" and "Peter Grimes".

A versatile artist whose repertoire spans from early Baroque to contemporary music, opera, operetta and concert, he is much in demand in Europe and has sung in many other leading opera houses in Munich, Hamburg, Dresden, Hanover, Nuremberg, Lyon, Turin, Paris, Geneva, Zurich and Tel Aviv.

Michael has taken part in many radio broadcasts for German, Italian, French and Swiss Radio and recorded for Deutsche Grammophon. A new recording of "Ariadne auf Naxos" with Michael Howard was released in 2001 on the Deutsche Grammophon label which was then nominated for a Grammy Award in the USA as best opera recording of the year. Michael is also fluent in German and Italian.