Prior to the start of the eighth meeting, I had the good sense to ask Professor Rosa Angela Canuto of Turin, Italy if she would help me organize the ninth meeting. She quickly suggested that both she and Dr. Guiliana Muzio, also of Turin, help plan the meet­ ing. Each of our previous eight meetings was a unique experience for the participants. The science was always outstanding and the presentations and discussions were excellent. By moving each meeting to a different part of the world we were able to experience exciting foods and cultural aspects of the world in addition to the science. The ninth meeting was no exception. We met from June 18 to 22 in the small mountain city of Varallo, Italy, the birth place of Dr. Canuto. Holding the scientific sessions in a several-hundred-year-old converted mansion and having an afternoon trip to either Lago Maggiore or Monte Rosa made some aspects of this meeting extremely memorable. An additional unique aspect of the social portion of the meeting was our ability to invite the townspeople to share with us a concert performed in an old church. Though the social and cultural aspects of the meeting were outstanding, the purpose of the meeting was to exchange scientific information about the status of the three enzyme systems.