Have you heard of the Valtellina and the Valchiavenna? If not, you are in the company of most people who have visited Italy – even those who know and love Lake Como, one of the great beauty spots of the world. Yet the northern finger of the lake touches the Valtellina valley, where the pre-Alps meet the Alps. Here, in celebration of their symbiotic relationship, the mighty river of the Valtellina, the Adda, roars into the lake.

One enters, as through a door in a child’s story book, another world, an unspoilt, majestic valley, known for centuries as a cornucopia of goodness, full of historic towns and gastronomic specialities unique to the area. Its 2,500 kilometres of dry-stone walls make up the largest terraced area of viticulture in all Italy, known as ‘heroic viticulture’ for its dependence on human labour. However, its superb DOCG wines largely remain a secret to the rest of the world.

This book is a lovingly researched, lyrical evocation of one of the most stunning areas of the world and its food and drink. It presents its culinary delights in the context of their history, territory, and local customs.