Opposite Lockdown: Rediscovering the romance of the road

We hit the road the hour before dawn, the Aston Martin DB11 V8 limbering up nicely as we cruised toward the coast and EuroTunnel train that would take us under the English Channel.

- Angus MacKenzie

Ahead, a nice, easy run through France, wafting along at a relaxed 85 mph on the quiet and beautifully maintained autoroutes, before jinking up and over the Jura Mountains and dropping into Switzerland and our overnight stop in Geneva. Tomorrow, we’d amble down through the Mont Blanc Tunnel and into Italy, picking up the pace in the Aosta Valley before skirting around Turin to reach our hotel in the heart of the fabled Langhe wine region.

We’ve always loved a road trip, Mrs. MacKenzie and I. But this one was special, I thought, as the DB11 loafed along at 100 mph in the bright Italian sunshine, the 4.0-liter twin-turbo V-8 growling happily at 2,200 rpm. After weeks of lockdown, it was wonderful to be back behind the wheel again, to watch the world unrolling through the windshield, to wonder what was around the next corner, over the next hill.

TO rediscover the romance of the road.