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Journey through southern France and northern Italy, July 2026
by Michael McCay, Travel Advisor
Lyon centre de villeI recently wound up my latest European Vacation with a bit of a road trip. After ploughing all of my travel points into British Airways over the course of two decades, I opened up a spreadsheet, ran a few scenarios, and decided that my future was brighter partnering with Alaska Airlines. After making the switch and without too much effort, I managed to save up enough points for a flight from Europe back to California for me, my wife Iña and our son Mikel with one of Alaska’s partner airlines, from Milan Malpensa airport back to Los Angeles via Frankfurt. This was ideal for a number of reasons. It turned out to be the best deal points-wise; it is one of the airports where we could drop off our leased car (more on that later), and Italy happens to be a place that Iña has wanted to visit for some time.
After a hugely successful Fiesta de San Fermín (multiple days of gourmet meals, cultural events and fireworks), we got into our leased Peugeot 308 SW on July 14th and hit the road. The choice of the word “leased” versus “rented” is deliberate. We booked through a program that lets non-residents choose from a selection of French makes and models for a long-term stay (over 21 days) in Europe. You’re given a brand-new car available for pick-up and drop-off at multiple airports across Europe, and it comes fully insured. There is no need to designate and pay for additional drivers; pretty much anyone who is a family member can take the wheel. We’ve been caught out trying to cram too many bodies and large suitcases into rental cars in the past and so the station wagon format of this Peugeot really fit the bill. Our destination would be the city of Lyon, just outside of the Alpes, at the junction of the Rhône and Saône rivers.
Un bastilleThose who were paying attention may have noted that we were traveling in France on the 14th of July, commemorated by the French as their “fête national” but referred to by English speakers as Bastille Day. So after checking into our hotel, the first thing we did was drive into town to scout out a place to watch the fireworks, and get an ice cream to take some of the edge off the whole “heat dome” thing that the region was subjected to.
More on that in a minute – first, a wild tangent. Those who know me know that I'm a bit of a language nerd. When visiting somewhere that has a language other than English, I try to pick up at least a few key phrases, and if nothing else, at least acknowledge the language and culture of the place that I'm visiting. Although I took Spanish in in high school and university, my summer abroad in Madrid in 1982 was really when I could say I gained any fluency. Soon after, I took French and Basque classes as well, although I am still working on getting to a more fluent level in those languages.
While no one would ever have confused me with a native French speaker, my level was decent enough to get me through a number of trips through France over multiple decades. It was good enough to get me some expense-paid travel for the mere responsibility for acting as interpreter and fixer (thanks, cousin Lisa!). I even scored a few points with my first manager when I moved back to California, and walked a technician in remote Quebec through a procedure involving Nortel phone equipment, in French.
On fait le touristeUntil recently, pretty much any visit to France was an opportunity to practice my French, tripping up once in a while, but with no major consequence beyond the occasional eye-roll from a stereotypically standoffish waiter. What I’ve noticed in France recently is that yes, the general level of English has gone up. Another recent phenomenon seems to be that many service workers will switch to English as soon as they detect that French isn’t your first language. Sometimes this results in an amusing anecdote, such as when my conversation with a French gendarme went through French, English and Spanish before finally landing on Basque.
Other times, such as when I ordered an ice cream cone in Lyon, the guy serving switched to English, only to tell me that he couldn’t give me the amarena cherry ice cream that was right there in the display. When I inquired as to why, he apparently was incapable of providing an answer in English, while deeming me incapable of understanding an answer in French. So he went to the back of the shop and brought back a colleague, who managed to explain that due to the high temperatures, that particular batch had “lost its structure”, which I guess was how she was able to communicate that it basically had gone all melty. A bit infuriating in the moment, but for next time perhaps I’ll take some steps to brush up on my conversational French before my next visit, and speak with a bit more confidence. In any case, I had further interactions in French while in the country that went off without a hitch.
Feu d'artificeSo, back to our regularly scheduled program – the 14th was also the day that Spain faced off with France in the World Cup finals, and those of you who follow soccer know how that went for France. A lot of the indoor and outdoor cafés had big screens set up, but the people watching weren’t in a celebratory mood. Their spirits picked up a bit when it was time for the fireworks. In Lyon, the displays provide a spectacular backdrop for the Basilique Notre-Dame de Fourvière up on the hilltop. The display was not as flashy as those that I’ve seen in Porto, Bordeaux, Pamplona/Iruñea or Valencia, but it did go on for a full 20 minutes.
One tradition that does seem to be upheld in France over the years is the police’s use of tear gas for crowd control. Although we witnessed zero examples of misbehavior from the public, our attempts to get back to where our car was parked were stymied by volleys of tear gas every time we turned a corner. This also led to crowds of young people sprinting down the streets to avoid any ill effects. At one point I had gotten half way across a street, a stampede started, and I had visions of ending up like Mufasa among the wildebeests in The Lion King. In the end, we reached our car and made it back to the hotel. On the TV news the next day I saw some footage of one lone hooligan attempting to light a bin on fire, but nothing that would have justified the heavy-handed police action.
FuniculaireOn our second day in Lyon, we took things easy, walking around town and enjoying the sights. We took the funicular up to the top of Fourvière to see the Basilica and the sweeping views of Lyon and beyond. We visited the Paul Bocuse marketplace for snacks and drinks, then made our way to the Musée des Confluences, where the two rivers meet. Before heading back to the hotel, we stopped in at L’Improbable, a fun little bistro run by a cousin of Iña’s friend Sonya.
Unfortunately, we didn’t have time for more exploration. If I ever make it back, I’d probably make an effort to see a few more historical landmarks, and definitely experience some of Lyon’s local specialty dishes at a bouchon.
ToscanaOur next stop was northern Italy. There aren’t a lot of options for crossing the southern Alps. The most direct way from Lyon is via the Fréjus tunnel, and eight-mile feat of engineering that is the longest tunnel that crosses an international border. I have to believe that the 55-euro toll also sets some sort of world record. On the plus side, the woman in the toll booth who extracted the massive toll from my credit card was kind enough to conduct the entire transaction in French, avoiding another linguistic meltdown on my part.
Speaking of languages, we were now entering the country of Italy. Perhaps you are now wondering what sort of adventures I had practicing Italian or some other local language. Before we go there, let’s consider a few fun facts:
• Surprise surprise, the most widely spoken language in Italy is Italian.
• At the same time, as a single primary language, it is spoken in fewer than half of Italian households.
• Italy is one of the most linguistically diverse areas in Europe. Most of the population speak Romance languages that developed from Latin in parallel with what became standard Italian. Although the Italians themselves tend to refer to them as dialetti, they are really languages in their own right, not dialects of Italian.
• Other languages, while native to their areas, are not even Romance languages, but belong to other Indo-European branches such as Germanic, Albanian, Slavic and Hellenic.
• On our short visit, although we stayed in a relatively small area, we spent time in four distinct language areas.
With that in mind, the thought of trying to communicate in a local language sounded a bit daunting and so I didn’t really make much of an effort to learn a few phrases like I normally would. What I discovered was that the locals seemed fine with responding in Italian if I addressed them in Italian, especially when going off the beaten track as we did. For the next time, I’ll make a more serious effort and perhaps learn and practice a few things.
Rosa di SeraOnce on Italian soil, we headed straight for our lodgings – a guesthouse listed on Vrbo called Rosa di Sera, officially in Tuscany at its extreme northern end, but very close to Ligurian hotspots like Cinque Terre. It’s tucked up in the mountains at the end of a very narrow road, the kind where you might have to back your car up a bit if you meet someone coming from the opposite direction. Yet, in a mere thirty minutes by car, you can be dipping your toes in the Ligurian Sea. The ground floor of this rustic Italian home was a private spa, with jacuzzi and sauna. The upper floor contained the living quarters with two bedrooms and a kitchen. Diego and Chiara are the kind of people who take their role as hosts very seriously. In this age of staff-less accommodations and remote-controlled locks, they met us personally, showed us around the beautifully restored and decorated property, provided some very useful recommendations, then stepped back. We didn’t see them again for the rest of our stay, but they were always quick to reply to our messages looking for additional recommendations. They even stocked the kitchen with enough for a nice dinner and simple breakfasts. We didn’t avail of their offer of on-site massage services, but anyone looking for a relaxing countryside retreat could definitely find peace and tranquility in a quiet setting at a very affordable price.
After our long drive, we opted to chill out our first evening at the house, enjoying a quiet dinner of pasta and wine provided by Diego and Chiara, along with the picnic items we had brought with us.
PisaThe first item on our tour agenda the following day was the town of Pisa, with its famous leaning tower. In July, it was every bit as crowded as we expected. We didn’t take any gag pictures ourselves, but in just about every shot in our photo reel around the tower, you can see people posing with their hands in the air, pushing against a tower that only meets their hands if you’re looking from the correct angle.
From there, we followed Diego’s recommendations and went off the beaten track a bit. The village of Bagnone straddles a small canyon with a stream running through it. Its upper vantage point has a castle dating back 1300 years and a church. It was nice to wander around a town where we were the only tourists in July, rehydrate with a leisurely beer at a local hangout, and interact with some of the friendly locals. This was where I realized that a prior crash course in Italian would have enhanced my stay.
PontremoliFrom there it was off to Pontremoli. The town itself is on a mostly flat area along the Magra river, but atop a bluff at its northern end, you’ll find the Castello del Piagnaro. Although you can get to the castle by walking up some very steep streets, we opted to follow the tunnel bored into the mountainside to an elevator that took us straight up to the Castle. As expected, the castle provided stunning views from an 11th-century fortress, but also hosts a fascinating exhibit of Statue Stele Luningianesi, stone carvings created by inhabitants of Lunigiana starting over 5000 years ago. From there, it was all downhill along those same steep streets, into town for a bit of sightseeing and shopping.
On Diego’s recommendation we had dinner at Da Gambin. Their specialty is a flatbread (panigacci) cooked on red-hot terra cotta plates in tall stacks such that several are cooked simultaneously. They are served with local cheeses such as stracchino and cured meats, which are folded into each crispy panigaccio taco-style. There is also a soft version served with sauces such as pesto or simple olive oil. None of the references that I have visited pin down exactly when this was invented; it’s as if they’ve always been part of the local cuisine.
The next day was dedicated to taking in a bit of Cinque Terre. As the name implies, the region is made up of five coastal villages, along a rocky coast where access by car requires navigating a lot of twists and turns. A better way to get around is by train, thanks to a series of tunnels connecting each of the towns. Better yet is to explore the coast by boat, as recommended by our hosts. We parked in La Spezia and from the wharf boarded the boat that would take us to each of the five villages until our destination of Vernazza. Once there, we visited the small harbor, where Mikel took a swim, we visited the seaside church and we strolled through town. On the recommendation of a Fora colleague, we ordered from the “light lunch” menu at Ristorante Initio – grilled octopus for Iña and a gourmet burger for Mikel. Then for a bit more strolling around, a leisurely coffee and a nice gelato. As tempting as it was to walk one of the coastal trails to the next town on the way back to La Spezia, we opted to hop on the train and in mere minutes were back where we started.
Our last full day in Italy required a three-hour drive to Milan-Malpensa airport. We made one last visit to a Ligurian castle, the Fortezza di Sarzanello. Although some kids playing in one of the castle towers deemed us to be invasori (invaders), we managed to get tickets to the fortress and one last hilltop view of the Tuscan and Ligurian countryside, and headed for the airport.
GlacierWe had a very early flight out of Milan the next morning. What’s the best way to avoid the hassle of getting a hotel shuttle or taxi before 5 AM in the morning? Just sleep at the airport! Before dropping off our Auto Europe rented Peugeot, we checked into the Sheraton Milan Malpensa, right there in Terminal 1 for an easy stroll to drop off our bags before catching our flight. I sprung for the Executive room, which gave us free admission to the evening reception for a light buffet dinner and wine. A nice dip in the pool was a refreshing end to a long, hot stay in southern Europe where the “heat dome” kept us sweating for days on end. We retired early, as a lot of repacking was in order.
Our flight back was on a German budget airline, with stricter weight rules for carried-on and checked baggage, so we spent a bit of time making sure that all of our luggage would pass the weight and dimension checks. Interestingly, or amazingly, this airline shares its name (Condor) with a certain Legion, made infamous for its bombardment of Gernika, as well as many other towns in the Basque Country and northern Spain. I recently discovered that a Condor Legion aircraft crash-landed in the town of Gajano, birthplace of my grandfather Fermín Cagigas Castanedo. This would surely have something to do with the fact that the family homestead was occupied by German military personnel for a time under the Franco dictatorship. Definitely something to research one of these days.
Anyway, our flight to LAX via Frankfurt went nowhere near the Iberian Peninsula and its post-civil-war targets. In spite of its budget vibe, the overall experience flying Condor was a good one.
Final thoughts
Italy was a blast and I felt like we squeezed a lot out of the mere three days that we were there. I look forward to returning some day and exploring more of the wide variety of countryside, culture and cuisine. My guess is that my next visit will be to an island, either Sicily or Sardinia

As a matter of fact, I did take a few pictures. Click here:
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