26 Days, Two Hats: A Sojourn Through Italy, France & England
 |
There's a particular joy in a trip that refuses to be just one thing. This one was part pilgrimage, part music camp, part reunion tour, and part working mission for the Society of Flight Test Engineers. For thirty days I swapped between a guitar case and a briefcase, sometimes in the same afternoon. Here's how it unfolded.
Arrival: Italy, August 24
I landed in Italy on the 24th with a bit of a fog that comes with a delayed DFW flight, crossing an ocean, and a missed Heathrow connection. But employing my motto, "flexibility is the key to tactical success" it all worked out. Arriving a few hours late at Milan-Linate, I picked up a rental car and headed out in rush hour for a 1-hour drive to Venegono to pick up my Italian guitar, spending my first night in a new Airbnb aptly named the Villa Puccini (for all its Puccini memorabilia) hosted by a mathmatics professor. I went out for a late-night pizza and a birra rosa as a huge thunderstorm brought welcome rain to a drought-stricken land. Italy has a way of making you forget the jet lag. The next morning, I enjoyed a massage, lunched with an old friend, and heard a different kind of music from her handpan. And then I pointed my rental toward the mountains.
Falcade: Guitars Beneath the Dolomites
My first destination was Falcade, a small village tucked into the Dolomites, for Roberto Dalla Vecchia's Acoustic Guitar Camp, my 3rd year attending. The view from my balcony that first evening set the tone for the whole week: towering spruce, red geraniums spilling over the railing, and the jagged peaks catching the last pink light of the day.
The camp itself was everything I'd hoped for. Picture thirty-some guitar lovers from all over the world, every one of us carrying a well-loved instrument and many songs we wanted to share We spent our days in workshops with Roberto and his Czech guest instructor, Ondra Kozak, and our evenings playing together until our fingers gave out. I was gratified to see how much more I was absorbing, as I built on my past workshop foundation. The challenge will be remembering when I return home
The last afternoon of the workshop, my classmates and Roberto spent an afternoon hiking. The Dolomites do not disappoint. On one high-pasture trail, I made a new friend: a curious Haflinger foal with a white star on his forehead. He wandered right up and decided I was worth investigating. I was wearing my Canclini family-reunion cap, and I like to think he recognized a fellow wanderer.
The next day we bid our farewells, and I drove 45 minutes to Alba di Canazei for a solo hike to Rifugio Contrin for an overnight. It was a steep hike to start, which had me wondering if I could get there before dark. But once I made the crest, it was an easy hike along a stream to the rifugio, and I made it just in time for a local beer, followed by a fabulous dinner and meeting some of the staff,
including a charming Ukrainian woman named Cristina, who had lived in Italia for 18 years. We connected immediately. I heard some amazing stories and watched the stars come out over the mountains in perfect silence. I also learned this was just the first way station for hikes throughout the Dolomites. The experience reminded me why I love sometimes traveling solo to experience life on my terms at my pace. I would have liked to have stayed a bit longer, but I had made plans for the next hike with one of my workshop classmates. So early the next morning I bid adeiu to Contrin and beautiful views as I hiked back down to my car and picked up Laurie for a hike near Passo Giau.
 | ||
Our planned route was Passo Giau → Rifugio Averau → Rifugio Nuvolau → Cinque Torri → back to Passo Giau — a loop of ~6+ miles that hits Ra Gusela, the Cinque Torri (the "five towers"), Tofana di Rozes, and views to the Marmolada glacier, passing the open-air WW1 museum at Cinque Torri. Reviewers call it "beautiful, done in just under 5 hours including lunch." We started out, and I quickly surmised that it was going to take me longer. Partially because I was trying to make this trek still fasting after having already hiked out from Rifugio Contrin. Stopping for lunch at Rifugio Averau, we made the decision to bypass Nuvolau and head directly to Cinque Torri, near Cortina d'Ampezzo. These massive stone pillars rise out of green meadows like something from a fantasy novel, with the great wall of the Tofane looming behind them under a brooding sky. Standing there with my trekking poles, I felt very small and very lucky.
Next we descended into a mountain valley, and my first impression was that we would be done in an hour. But the valley ended, and the path down became incredibly steep. Didn't need a rope. But it was quite demanding (see video). And then another 3 hours to hike back to Passo Giau. But we made it, and I drove Laurie to the Passo Valles trailhead to start her next hike, and I headed 50 miles west to Castello di Fiemme to visit an old friend.
Visiting Volpe
Leaving the Dolomites, I stopped to visit my dear friend Volpe and his family, whom I met skiing in Switzerland 10 years ago when I worked in Italy. We spent the afternoon catching up on a wooden balcony overlooking a sweeping green valley and enjoying a delicious lunch with his family. The valley had particular
Lago Maggiore: Lakeside Evenings
Then it was west to Lago Maggiore, and to Arona, where I'd base myself for the next few days. The first night I shared a cozy dinner with my dear friend Matteo at one of our favorite restaurants, Osteria Anticogallo (the old rooster), on a cobbled street. There was a glass of red, a plate of fried zucchini flowers, and plenty of laughter, and we discussed life, longevity, and the mysteries of women and Kalman filters.
The next evening brought a surprise. My old yoga instructor Carla invited me to join her for a theatrical production titled "Scorre il tempo" (time passes). It was the 2026 production of an annual event called Teatro sull'acqua (Theatre on the Water). Directed by famed writer Dacia Maraini and created alongside an Italo-Belgian company led by Pietro Chiarenza, the musical performance took place directly on a floating stage ("lagoscenico") set up on Lake Maggiore just off the shores of Piazza del Popolo. Performers spun flaming wheels and torches while the reflections danced on the dark water, and the lights of the far shore twinkled in the background. It was one of the most mesmerizing performances I have ever seen and one of many reasons I love Arona, where I lived off and on for 6 years. And I was pleasantly surprised that I could follow the plot, as it was mostly in Italian.
 |
| My favorite salad |
Venegono: (and Into the Sky)
I then drove east to Venegono to visit with my many friends and colleagues from Leonardo flight test teams at Leonardo, which builds both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. I spent a social evening with their flight test engineers, and we talked about how SFTE and Leonardo might collaborate more closely.
Then one of my colleagues, Simone gave me a gift I'll never forget: a sailplane flight. I strapped into a white ASK-21 two-seater with my friend Nicki in the back seat. We were towed aloft and then turned loose to ride the air in silence. I had a few glider flights in the past, but this one was the first; there were so many thermals we could have stayed up for hours. After four decades in flight test, mostly in machines that are anything but quiet, there's still nothing quite like the pure hush of a glider. The grin in my selfie tells the whole story. More details here📰 SFTE News: SFTE President Visits Leonardo Flight Test Team
The final weekend, I enjoyed playing my guitar and enjoying time with friends. I returned to Arona to enjoy dinner at Villa Rocchetta and enjoy another performance of Teatro sull'acqua's "Scorre il tempo" with Miriam. I closed out my Italian chapter with a community walk through part of an ancient pilgrimage route named Via Francisca del Lucomagno . The part of the walk we did was right by the historic village of Castiglione Olona and the UNESCO-listed Monastery of Torba. Finished the weekend with a lovely garden dinner under string lights at my favorite restaurant in Venegono, named Diodona. It was a perfect farewell to a country that always feels a little like home.
By Rail: Milan to Lyon to Carcassonne
I was now on to a new type of adventure- an intercontinental train from Milan to Toulouse with stops along the way. I love trains. You get to watch a continent unroll past your window instead of skipping over it at 35,000 feet. From Milan, I rode the rails through the Alps into France, stopping in Lyon for 2 and a half days. I stayed in the old city. My guiche flat (MiHotel Bisolon) was hidden behind a nondescript door and up 2 flights of stairs. But it was the most well-designed room, combining efficiency with luxury. I walked along the Saône at blue hour, with the Saint-Georges footbridge glowing orange, and the basilica of Fourvière lit up gold on the hill above. Lyon is a city that rewards an evening stroll. I dined at L'Auberge des Canuts, located on Place d'Albon in the historic heart of Lyon. Starting with amazing French onion soup, followed by salmon tartare and the pièce de résistance, chocolate mousse.
The next day I took two guided tours, one of the city. My biggest takeaway was a reminder of the religious hubris that has permeated society. During the Protestant Reformation, the reformers lopped off the heads of all the statues on the outside of this cathedral (as well as a few human heads) since Catholics were the offending religion. It continues to this day in one aspect or another. The second tour was a food tour at five different restaurants that took me waaaay off my diet regime... but so so worth it. It started with a service of amazing cheeses.
But the most memorable dish was a classic culinary specialty called Quenelle de brochet (Pike Quenelle). It is one of the most famous dishes served in traditional Lyonnaise bistros, known as bouchons. At the restaurant Chez Grand-Mère, About the Dish - The Quenelle: A light, creamed northern pike fish dumpling made with eggs, butter, flour, and milk (a paste known as a panade). When baked in an oval gratin dish, the quenelle puffs up significantly into a light, airy texture. It is covered in a rich, creamy sauce homardine (a savory lobster-infused cream sauce)
From Lyon I continued south to Carcassonne, the great medieval walled city (2nd most visited place in France)
Wandering its ramparts and towers feels like stepping straight into the Middle Ages. And for dinner inside the walls, stuffing myself on traditional cassoulet. Traditional Carcassonne cassoulet is a slow-cooked white bean and meat casserole that famously includes the addition of red-legged partridge alongside duck confit and Toulouse sausage.
Toulouse: Visiting Airbus and the Countryside
The next day I took the train to Toulouse to stay with my friend and European Chapter President Nunzio and his family in the countryside north of Toulouse. Toulouse is the beating heart of European aerospace, I toured the aircraft museum and at Airbus headquarters I met with the Airbus test and evaluation team over meetings and lunch. We talked about SFTE's growing programs, especially our Recommended Practices effort, and about how to deepen the partnership between our organizations.
📰 SFTE News: SFTE President Visits Airbus Flight Test Team
England: Warton and London
The final leg took me across the Channel and a train north to Warton. ; the first stop was BAE Systems in Warton, where FTE Manager Kenton Jones hosted me to what I was craving. Scrumptious Indian curry. The next day was a visit to BAE Systems. The next day in London, at the Royal Air Force Club, I had the honor of presenting the 2025 FTE Scholarship plaque to the Empire Test Pilots' School.
Then came the capstone. I gave a lecture at the Royal Aeronautical Society titled "Flight Test in the Complex Domain: The Human Performance Challenge." The room was full of flight testers from all over the UK. My message was that as aircraft become more software-defined, autonomous, and interconnected, success depends as much on teamwork, judgment, and culture as on tools and techniques. It was a privilege to share it in such a storied hall. If you're curious, you can watch the talk on YouTube. Afterwards, I went out with the test team from WindRacers and an up-and-coming UAS company, More at 📰 SFTE News: SFTE President Visits UK Flight Test Community
With the work done, London got to be London, and I was again reminded why it is one of my favorite cities. I spent a rollicking night at a raucous blues bar, "Ain't Nothing But" in Soho, with new friends I met there from Italy. I stayed in South Kensington enjoying an eclectic mix of Lebanese dinners at Orjawan and French pastries in the morning. In the evenings, I took the underground to the Soho district. I saw Hadestown in the West End, which was haunting, joyful, and just right for a traveler near the end of a long road. Finished off theater night with some of the best Indian food I have eaten since Nigoya, Japan at the Soho restaurant Gopels
Homeward
Twenty-six days. Mountains, lakes, rails, runways, and a West End stage. Old friends and new ones, including one very curious foal. I honestly wasn't ready to come home. This is how life should be lived.
As I near the end of my term as SFTE President, this trip reminded me why both halves of my life matter so much to me. The flight test community is truly global and generous. The friendships I've made along the way are the best souvenirs I could ask for.
Grazie, merci, and cheers to everyone who opened their doors to me. Until the next sojourn.
Comments
Post a Comment