In my previous post, I'd travelled from Poland to Italy, mimicking, in the (virtual) air, a roadway trip, that an acquaintance of mine is, in fact, currently in the process of completion, in the RW. There, I flew at 20,000 ft or more, to stay clear of the highest of the Austrian Alps which was my primary focus of interest. At those altitudes, on my route to Rome, I zoomed over the final stretch of the Italian mountain range, the Apennines, down below, that run down (almost) the entire length of Italy, hence, often called Italy's "spine". The Apennines may not get as much attention as the European Alps, including the (vast) Italian Alps that stretch across the northern border of Italy, home to famous peaks like the Matterhorn and the Dolomites. However, the Apennine Mountains are spectacular in their own rights. 

Being relatively familiar e.g., both with the high Rockies of the western U.S., and the (lower elevation) Appalachians of the eastern U.S.; I am a firm believer that the (5,000 ft to 10,000 ft) mountains can, indeed have, unique beauty and appeal of their own, while readily accessible to the average visitors and lovers of mountainous scenery. The Apennines are no exception (I can tell, someone will show me the RW tour pictures of these mountains soon, so, I better get to know a bit more about them...🙂...). The range is known for its diverse landscapes from rugged peaks and valleys to rolling hills, lush green forests, and picturesque towns nestled within these mountains (see e.g., my shot #8 below).

For this post, I travel almost the entire length (~700+ miles) of the Apennines, from north to south. The highest 3 summits of the range are (1) Corno Grande - the highest (see shot #11); then (2) Mount Amaro and (3) Monte Velino. These 3 mountain peaks are all nearly collocated less than 100 miles from Rome. In the FlightPlan of the (advanced) Garmin G5000 suite of this (exciting) Cessna Citation Longitude (the largest business jet from Cessna), these 3 (custom) LAT/LONG waypoints are designated as FPL000, FPL001, FPL002 (see MFD Map). 

BTW, overall, I found the G5000 avionics on this MS/Asobo Citation Longitude; complex, capable and well-simulated, at least for an average (virtual) aviator, such as I am...🙂...Interestingly, note that this (default) a/c has now been upgraded with an advanced VNAV function too, that I (briefly) tested for a [VNAV PATH] descent, to the IAF Fix (NASOM) of ILS Runway 08 of (LICC) Catania–Fontanarossa Airport. I surely need to spend more time studying this G5000 unit, especially its VNAV capabilities, including custom setting of altitude constraints etc. (I easily found, on-line, an authentic 326-page Garmin manual for the G5000 Integrated Avionics System...should be fun to read and practice stuff, if I have time...🙂...).

So, please join me, as I fly, from (LIMC) Milan Malpensa International Airport in northern Italy, well north of the Apennine mountains; southward along the Apennines skimming the tallest peaks of the range, all the way down to the island of Sicily, located in the country's extreme southwest. It's sometimes said that the Italian peninsula resembles a high-heeled boot while the island of Sicily is the football being kicked by the boot...hopefully for a "Goooooal"...🙂...

Of course, no visit to the island of Sicily is complete without tasting some authentic Sicilian cuisine...🙂...which is impossible here (though it did not stop me from looking up, on Yelp, the Top 10 Best Sicilian Restaurants near Chicago...🙂...Oh well...). But, at least, I got a chance to pay respects to the other remarkable feature of the island of Sicily, the fearsome Mount Etna, entire Europe's largest and most active stratovolcano (located less than 20 miles north of Catania airport, my final destination). The mountain (impressively) stands even taller (see shot #13 below) than the tallest of the Apennines.

Hope you enjoy this collection of images from my trip today along the Appennines, and also share a bit of my excitement, as I travel in the comfort (see cabin shot) of this delectable and exciting (default) aircraft by MS/Asobo, in the livery of Hatzolah Air (please note that there some anomalies in this (marketplace) add-on livery; such as the (OE-FDL) Reg., and also that the fuselage texture colors seem to turn white, whenever I zoom away from the a/c, in my Xbox Camera view)...

Thanks for viewing.

Edited September 20, 2025Sep 20 by P_7878

Fine set, thanks for sharing !

cheers 😉

We need more cabin shots of the 2024 Longitude.🙃

22 hours ago, pmplayer said:

Fine set, thanks for sharing !

cheers 😉

Appreciated the comment, pmplayer.

Cheers...!

 

4 hours ago, Dillon said:

We need more cabin shots of the 2024 Longitude.🙃

...🙂...It was a choice between more shots of the cabin or the Apennines, so, I'd to make a hard choice...🙂...to stay within 20 images...

Anyway, I agree. This very nice (default) MS/Asobo/WT airplane, indeed, has got a (much needed) interior facelift in MSFS2024...🙂...

So, here you go, Dillon. The Cessna Citation Longitude (Model 700), with its luxurious cabin (see images below), is waiting at your homebase airport (KMCO)...🙂...cleared for takeoff from Runway 36R... just need to have the (stowed-away) airstairs extended for your boarding...