Two for the Road: Photos from Summer in Europe

Taken from Volume 5 of Common Thread, available for free in our Savile Row and Canal St stores.

Text and Images by Cedric Bardawil 

We packed a couple of bags with summer clothes, a pair of tennis rackets, some books and off we went, guided only by fold-out Michelin maps, which have a lovely advantage over apps—they highlight the scenic routes in green.

So we left London behind, crossed the English Channel and arrived in France where we motored through the Champagne region, took in the French culinary capital of Lyon, drove along the breath-taking Route Napoleon from Grenoble to Gap, and then found ourselves on the winding mountain roads that lead to Italy and Turin.

This leg of the drive through the South of France was so enthralling that it lingers still. Four days into our adventure, we arrived at Villa di Geggiano in Siena, where we relaxed with friends for a few nights, ate fresh tomatoes from the garden, drank Chianti Classico from the estate, and settled into the pleasure of Tuscan life.

Our final sojourn was to Cinque Terre, where we bobbed on boats that carried us between ancient fishing villages and passed long, memorable days on the beach. When our time came to an end, we drove home via Lake Maggiore and Baden-Baden, soundtracked by Peter Green’s Little Dreamer.”