The Traveler’s Spotlight: A 12-Day Jaunt through France and Italy

By August 25, 2017 Strategy

The Trip: A 12-day road trip from Rome to Paris stopping in Florence, Santa Margherita Lugere, Portofino, and Gargas and Provence along the way
The Travelers: Regan Hann, our Social Media Manager, and her fiancé, Evan Barrett
Miles Traveled: 12,290 approximately by air

 

What was your favorite moment of the trip?
I really like to run early in the morning when I’m traveling, so some of my favorite memories from the trip are the people and places I saw while running in Portofino, Provence, and Paris. My favorite was running through the poppy fields in Provence.

 

What was your favorite town and why?

The Italian beach town we spontaneously went to was Santa Margherita Lugere. I enjoyed our time there the most because we had zero expectations and we didn’t see a single other American there. We really felt like we were in another time and place.

 

Book recently read while traveler?
Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell


What are two interesting things some may not know about traveling in Europe?
This was my first trip to Europe, and only my third time out of the United States, so I would hardly call myself an expert. However, one thing I was surprised to learn was that the Italians and French are waaaaaay better drivers than Americans. They actually respect the left lane and abide by certain traffic laws that Americans ignore (but they ignore other legislation in exchange, like speed limits, so we’ll call it even).

 

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I couldn’t sleep on the flight to Rome, so I opened my window at 4 am while we were flying somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, and I saw the Northern Lights! It was truly so much more beautiful than I expected, and I was so floored that no one else on the plane was awake to see it. Needless to say, I didn’t go back to sleep.

 

Did you learn anything interesting about yourself?
I discovered that my four years of college French is actually useless in France.

 

What was your favorite meal abroad?
I tried mussels for the first time at a restaurant on the harbor in Portofino, and we both continued talking about that dish for weeks. They were served in some kind of red pepper butter sauce that was really simple, but delicious.

 

If you had to live in one of the places you visited, where would you choose?
Santa Margherita Lugere, for sure. I loved the slower pace of life there, and the locals were so friendly and laid back. It felt like Colorado in a lot of ways, but an entirely different climate and geography.

 

What is the next stop on your bucket list?
I’d really like to go to Greenland for the Polar Circle Marathon next year. We flew over Greenland on our way home from Paris, and now I’m fixated on the idea of going there

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