Advertisement

Watch the sun rise in Firenze

I have enjoyed my runs in Italy. While in Rome, I ran from our hotel (the iQ Hotel near the Opera House) down to Capitoline Hill, through Circus Maximus (although Circus Maximus didn't quite have the feel of a chariot race), then through the arch at Appia Antica. I continued another couple of miles (another 4 or 5 kilometers) down via Appia Antica and barely escaped with my life. A friend advised me to run that part, but failed to tell me that there is no place to escape traffic. I later learned that it is closed to vehicles on Sundays (not the day I ran it). Fortunately, on the way back, I found a doorway and entered the park for the Catacombs of San Sebastian. A great way to see many of the sites in Rome before the crowds and the heat of late July.

While in Firenze, I ran from the Orto di Medici Hotel, down between the Campanile and the Baptistry, over Ponte Vecchio and then up to Piazzale Michelangelo. Despite late evenings (late for me, not for Italians), I was able to run early enough to watch the sun rise from Piazzale Michelangelo, although I had to run 7 or 8 laps in the parking lot up there while awaiting the sunrise. Fortunately, there was also a vendor selling cafe since no other cafe was available at that time of morning.

Jeff Peck

Read more stories about running in Italy