Our People

When we say "catered," we mean it. We understand that your guides need to take care of all the details, so you can be free to experience nothing but the adventure of Adagio's unique roads less traveled. Our guides know those roads intimately, and take great pleasure in revealing their secrets slowly, with care, gently—in true adagio style. Each one lives or has lived abroad, is bi- or multi-lingual, and is well-versed in the subtleties of personal service.

Our Guides

Claudia Harris

Claudia Harris is the founder and president of Adagio. A native of Charlotte, NC, Claudia lived in Southern France, Venice, Milan and Florence as part of her undergraduate studies at Wake Forest Universityand her JD/MBA program at New York University. From 1993 – 2002 Claudia was an international corporate lawyer who worked in New York as well as several major European cities. In 1997, she was married in Italy, where she and her husband spent the next five years before returning to the United States in 2002. They still own their home just north of Venice,and hope to return someday for good. Claudia's unique approach to travel combines the gracious hospitality of her Southern upbringing with a spirit of adventure and years of experience living and working around the world. She founded Adagio in 1999 to seek out other curious souls like herself and to create and cater their journeys of a lifetime. 

Liz Mesick

Liz Mesick is a Texas native and an unapologetic Italophile. While she and her husband lived in Northern Italy, many of their evenings were spent sipping wine with their neighbor Nino and learning all those secrets of what makes Italy Italy that you can't get from guidebooks. Another favorite memory is being kidnapped at unplanned moments by her other Italian neighbors, Maria and Rosangela, and “invited” into their kitchen to share culinary delights and secrets that left an indelible impression on her soul.Liz is a member of The Order Sons of Italy of America and is passionate about Italian food and wine. Currently living in the DC area, Liz guides as many of our Italian tours as her husband and dental hygiene practice will permit!

Dominique Parisot

Dominique is a master of many trades. Having worked in leadership positions with luxury tour operators since the 1980s, he always seems to anticipate clients' needs before they are ever expressed. A native of Burgundy, Dominique spent 25 years in North America before returning to Provence, France to realize his dream: the creation of a unique and splendid bed & breakfast in his home country. He and his partner oversaw the renovation and redesign of an 18th century manor house (a working sawmill until the 1950s) near the town of Eyguières. This beautiful abode now serves as our home for the Art de Vivre tour, which Dominique leads.

Michael San Filippo

Michael San Filippo, the founder and program director for Cantalupo Tours To Italy, serves as tour leader on the Sicily: Island in a Sea of Light and Sicily's Culinary Splendors tours. He is the founder and editor of About Italian Language, the leading online destination for Italian language. Michael, a New Yorker of Sicilian heritage, studied in Italy as a graduate student and currently conducts private tutoring in Italian for students of all levels and abilities. With a Master of Arts degree in Italian Studies from Vermont's Middlebury College Italian School Abroad program, he has a thorough knowledge of all things Italian including Italian culture, history, and Italian wine and cooking. Michael is dedicated to sharing his passion and enthusiasm for Italy with fellow travelers.

Jerome van der Putt

Jérôme was born in the Netherlands but has spent much of his life in France. He speaks French, English, Spanish and Dutch, as well as some Italian. While his early training and career focused on Business and Economics, he decided in 1998 to pursue more interesting paths – including, of all things, a year of teaching scuba diving in Egypt, Venezuela and Turkey! More and more, Jérôme has been drawn to the study of wines and winemaking, which had interested him from his teenage years. Over the last eight years, he has become an outspoken advocate of “natural” wines – those made by a small cadre of winemakers using organically grown grapes and no additives during the winemaking process. Jérôme wrote a well-received book on this subject in 2006 and continues to publish numerous articles and speak at conferences about the many advantages of natural wines.

Other Important Folks

Francesca Mattiroli

In the idyllic town of Capriva del Friuli, in northern Italy just across the border from Slovenia, lives a very talented young chef named Francesca Mattiroli. Francesca knew from the time she was quite young that her passion was going to be cooking. After practicing by her mother's side, she went on to intern under several of northern Italy's top chefs. Francesca has also spent time abroad honing her culinary skills, including several months in Germany and Thailand. We note these exotic influences in her intimate cooking lessons, which are held in the cozy kitchen of her childhood home. She and Claudia Harris have been friends since the late 1990s, and Francesca loves working with the inquisitive groups that Claudia brings her way.