"The more one knows, the more one loves"
Leonardo da Vinci, 1452-1519

Most definitely I inherited the passion for traveling from my parents. And in fact some of my most memorable travels were with my family. In this page I just intend to jot down my personal memories and impressions about various places I had the venture to visit either for vacation or for work. I will regularly continue to add new places and stories so hopefully the next time you will stop by you will read something new.

I went to Athens for one week with my mother when I was 9 and this was my first real big trip outside Italy. Our hotel was located in the central part of town and, quite curiously after such a long time, I still remember the rough layout of the main streets and the location of the most important monuments in town. The visit to the Acropolis on a clear morning did not leave me as impressed as seeing the Spitfire and other aircraft at the War Museum. I was really disappointed that the Parthenon was so badly broken and even more so after I was told that all this happened because it exploded during a Greek-Turkish war for having been used as place to store ammunitions! My mother helped me to appreciate the Doric style of the columns and other notable architectonic and sculptural details that on later years I would have found on my books of Art History. The view from the Acropolis is superb. Below on one side you can see the Theatre of Dionysos and of Herodes Atticus and further away the columns of the Olympieion. On the other side is the green expanse of the ancient Agora with a, thankfully, better preserved small temple and next to it the Plaka and the flea market. Even more impressive was the view from the top of Lykavittos Hill that we reached with a cable car traveling inside the mountain. The Acropolis in the golden light of the afternoon seen from that higher vintage point is something hard to forget. Another memory I cherish is the visit to the National Archaeological Museum. The Agamemnon golden mask and some lively minoic frescos of monkeys captivated me more than some super-famous sculptures (also later found in my books of Art History).
But there was much more to Athens than its unique monuments (I remember also a couple of very small and very old Byzantine churches). Getting immersed in its everyday life was just as enjoyable. Like strolling with my mother in the Plaka and the flea market and wander around the different tent-like shops selling rugs, fabrics, leather products, copper and brass utensils, food, and other kinds of goods. Or getting exposed to the local food. We paid homage to different local restaurants, some very simple, some others more refined, all with excellent treats among which my first dolmades and some cheese and bread that I remember as divine.
On one afternoon we had tour to Cape Sounion. Most of the time was actually spent for the trip and as a result the visit to the Poseidon temple had to somewhat hurried. Since it was already quite dark, I was not too impressed by the site, which I believe should be spectacular in daylight. Furthermore, I was rather upset to see that, again, the temple was actually a remnant of it. In any case, for a very long time Cape Sounion was as far East I had gone. This changed only after I visited the family of my wife in the Philippines but since I arrived there crossing the Pacific Ocean from the USA, it still does not click in my mind as really as having gone East.
I guess that, like the first love, the first trip abroad can not be forgotten and I hope one day I will have the joy to return to Athens and to visit more of Greece with my family.

The Philippines is the mother land of my wife Dianne. It brings also the distinction of being the East-most country I ever visited (though I reached it flying West from the USA) and the only one in Asia. For these and other reasons my short trip in Cebu in October 2004, to meet Dianne's family in occasion of the wedding of a dear friend of her, has a special place in my heart.
Clearly this is a much different place than Europe or North America. At first the cacophony of sounds and colors in the streets, the chaotic traffic, and the apparent lack of rules was confusing. However, soon I got used to it and, in fact, I started appreciating the undelying mindset which basically is "do not get too crazy trying to keep everything under control; just live!". And I have to say that it really works. Things, somehow, got done anyway and thanks to the hospitality of Dianne's family I passed some memorable days.
Having well rested at our arrival, we roamed together the city and, after a good lunch at Cafe` Laguna in downtown, we visited the Taoist Temple in Beverly Hills from which one can enjoy a beautiful view over the town and the sea. The following day I had the chance to see part of the older Spanish section since the wedding was celebrated in the Catherdral of Cebu. Then we went for the reception to the beautiful Shangri-La Resort in Mactan. This, as the Plantation Bay Resort where we relaxed and had fun the next day, are sort of Western-World islands in the midst of the real Philipino environment. Their luxury makes quite a contrast with the surroundings which, however, I found more genuine. In fact I remember with great joy doing simple things, like meeting Dianne's colleagues and friends or just going shopping for fruit and in the meantime observing what was going on in the streets. By the way, in Cebu I had some of the best fruit of my life. Take, for instance, their mangoes which really put to shame those you can buy in the USA. Two fresh mangoes (and some coffee!) for breakfast were giving me all the joy and zest to start the day the right way. Not to mention the lanzones or the rambutans, other delicacies I discovered there only to miss them here.
As ususal when having a good time, our trip was over too soon. But, paraphrasing Gen. Douglas McArthur, I can say "I came out of Cebu and I shall return".

I stopped in Chicago with my parents and brothers in August 1987 during one of my father conferences. We lodged for three days in the Chicago Hilton & Towers hotel located in front of Grant Park on South Michigan Ave. The hotel made a real impression on us with its grand entrance, its beautifully decorated ballrooms, and ... two bathrooms in each room! To have a quick flavor of the town we went on a bus-tour of its most notable places and, sadly, also of some poor looking neighborhoods. The sight of badly run-down homes just across the street from building like the Sears Tower was quite shocking for us as Italy, as most of Europe, does not have such striking contrasts of opulence and misery. Now, after having lived in the US for quite some time, I am more used to this even if I still find it sad. Later we went on the top of the Sears Tower from which one has a breathtaking view of the town and we also quickly visited the Lincoln Park Zoo.
Then, more than 18 years later, I returned in Chicago for the 58th Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics which was held in the same exact hotel. During the few days of my stay I was able to continue the visit interrupted years before. This time I elected to walk and to use the public transport system. Moving around downtown at a slower pace truly helped me to develop a better and deeper appreciation of this sparkling city. With a nighttime stroll along the Chicago River between State Street and Michigan Avenue I admired the Marina City complex, the Wrigley Building, and the Tribune Tower. Chicago has always been the mint of american architectural ideas and innovations and this tradition continues today. The Millenium Park is a show-off of new brilliant designs like the Jay Pritzker Pavilion by Frank Gehry or the captivating Cloud Gate, a mercury-bubble like sculpture reflecting the Chicago skyline that was under completion at the time of my visit. Just across the street along South Michigan Ave. is a virtual architectural encyclopedia of styles (Romanic, Gothic, Neo-Classic, …) applied to high-rises from the late-19th and early-20th centuries. These beautifully contrast with the purity and simplicity of lines of more modern buildings like the AON Center Tower. The pulsing heart of the town can be felt on the Magnificent Mile between the Chicago River and the Lake Shore Drive where Chicagoans and turists alike can indulge at any time of the day in exclusive shops, museums, restaurants and ritzy hotels. Here I myself enjoyed an excellent cup of espresso in an elegant café.
Most definitely Chicago has much to offer to any visitor. I am already looking forward to return there again and to visit the Art Institute of Chicago and other museums that I did not have the chance to see yet.

San Francisco is the very first town I visited in the US. This was during the same trip with my father that took us to Vancouver.
In 1965, before marrying, my father spent one year in the Bay Area and he kept a dear friendship with Sara Levi in Berkeley. He always celebrated this place and proudly showed us his slides from back then. As such San Francisco grew like sort a mythological place in my imagination and I had great expectations of it. When I actually visited it, I was a little disappointed, maybe also because I just arrived from Vancouver which just made a huge impression on me. This first impression progressively adjusted during my subsequent visits and generally speaking I can say that San Francisco is a beautiful town. Indeed, like in other big communities, there are some poorer areas and I notice a higher than usual number of homeless people. I was told that this is because the temperate climate and the tolerant attitude of the upper West Coast cities attracts them.
Truly tolerance, diversity, humanity, and creativity are trademark of this town no less than its justly celebrated monuments and lanscape. In San Francisco there is so much to live that I decided to experience things as they come at each visit. So I enjoyed some places multiple times, some others only once. Among the first are the Golden Gate Bridge and the Transamerica Pyramid which I deem among the brightest pieces of art and engineering. I also went twice to the quintessentially touristic Lombard Street (the crookedest street in the United States) and, more often, to city-life hubs like the Embarcadero Plaza (the 3rd AIAA Flow Control Conference was held at the distinctive Hyatt Regency ) and Union Square. At a stone throw from the latter is Chinatown, an intriguing place for its oriental shops (some of which very interesting) and its many restaurants. For a wide food selection plus a good view of the bay I also like stralling the waterfront between Girardelli Square and Pier 39.
In 2006 with my brother Andrea and his friend Alvise, both enthusiasts of the Far East (and of martial arts: I am not actually sure which comes first), we went the Asian Art Museum. Like others museums in San Francisco, it is relatively small which makes it perfect for a half-day relaxing visit. Hopefully next time I will also be able to visit the SFMOMA designed by Swiss architect Mario Botta and containing an extensive collection of twentieth-century art.
The surroundings of San Francisco are also very nice. Sausalito, just across the Golden Gate, is a favorite for its art galleries, fine restaurants and a scenic view embracing the Bay Bridge and most of the town. The nearby Muir Wood National Monument deserves a detour. This charming, small park is secluded in an intimate valley of the coastal range that preserves some Coast redwoods (Sequoia Sempervirens), the tallest trees in the World. North of the Bay Area are Sonoma and Napa valley, the USA capitals of wine. Going by the millions of bottles of local wine that fill the shelves in the USA stores, I expected these to be huge expanses of vine. On the contrary the many wineries are concentrated in a relatively area, at least for the Italian standards (which leads me to maliciously suspect not all the wine branded from Napa and Sonoma is actually from here). The gentle landscape of Napa Valley reminds me of some areas of Tuscany and Central Italy. This is a great place to relax and enjoy life at a slow pace, like we did tasting the delicacies offered by the Wine Spectator Greystone Restaurant and visiting the Beaulieu Vineyard and the Mondavi wineries.

The first AIAA Flow Control Conference was held in St. Louis in 2002 and so I had the venture of visiting this city. Or better, the Gateway Arch . Yes because, the conference venue, the Adams Mark hotel, just faces the riverfront where the Arch is located and it helplessly attracted me as a magnet. Indeed I can not say if this is more of a sculpture or a building, or both, or neither. In fact it seems much more like a huge spacecraft landed in the middle of a meadow, sort of an alien-made object whose lines continuously morph as one walks around it. Reaching the observation deck on its top is also a pretty unique experience as one is crumpled in a capsule whose interior resembles a commercial dryer.
I am sure St. Louis has some other interesting things to offer to its visitors, but in any case I think it would deserve a visit even only to spend an afternoon and evening in the company of this remarkable monument. It is just too bad that Eero Saarinen, the architect that designed it, died before seeing his amazing masterpiece completed.

I visited Toronto in June 2005 during the 35th AIAA Fluid Dynamics Conference. As with other work-related trips, this was a rather short one and thus my impressions of the city can only be superficial. Compared to the other Canadian towns I visited, Toronto is much more USA-like. The lakefront district where my hotel was located is a nice place to walk and to go for dining but under-passing a nearby freeway and some constructions areas to get to the CN Tower and to downtown feels a little bit ominous especially at night. However I found the view from the CN Tower to be magnificent especially later in the day. Liking architecture, I had solace also in visiting the Royal York Hotel and in dining in the BCE Place with its distinctive parabolic-arches covered promenade. As part of the conference, one of our dinner receptions was on a boat touring the lakefront from which, thanks to a cooperative weather, I admired what I think is the most iconic silhouette of this interesting town.