I feel so lucky to have the chance to sneak away for Thanksgiving abroad this year, but for a girl with a past history of overeating sugary pastry and delivery pizza, 12 days in Italy might be a challenge!The counter attack? Exercise, and lot's of it. With Rome as our first city stop, and my favorite place on earth, exercising has been easy. We scored a cheap hotel in the center of the city next door to Piazza di Spagna, walking miles everyday to many of the sights, rewarding our mileage with incredible dinners in Trastevere, a neighborhood that is a brisk 45 minute walk from our hotel. If you're gonna eat eat it, you gotta earn it!
Then there are the bonus workouts, like climbing the 500+ steps to the top of the Cupola at St. Peters Basilica. The dizzyingly narrow, circular staircases freaked me out with sudden virtigo, but the quad burn and gorgeous view from the top was worth it.
Like many citizens of European cities, Romans stay up late, and sleep late, leaving the city streets free of trafffic and pedestrians in the early morning hours- ideal for a quiet run through various, gorgoeus piazzas. Back home I am a trail runner, so here in Roma the cobbled narrow streets are a perfect match for the agility work and sense of dodge-and-go that I love out on the trail. Need a cheering section along the way? There was no shortage of "Ciao, Bella!" as I wound my way through the city. Friendly smiles and kind encouragement coming from Romes many restaurant delivery guys who get an early start each morning unloading fruits, vegetables, and fresh cheeses for the days business.
Most mornings in Rome, I took full advantage of our toursity location near Piazza di Spagna (Spanish Steps) and set a 30 minute triangle course through the areas glamourous shopping district. Starting from our hotel at Via due Macelli, I ran along Via Condotti, past the sleepy store fronts of Armani and Prada, up the Corso to the huge Piazza del Popolo and then down Via del Babuino into the Piazza di Spagna, breaking my pace to climb the Spanish Steps. Usually the steps are covered with tourists and local teenagers, but at 7am on a weekday, I had the climb to myself. Once at the top, I took a moment to enjoy the languid sunrise view of an awakening Rome, then took off down the side stairs into Piazza Mignanelli, walking the last block back to our hotel, just in time to arrive for a doppio caffe and fresh morning croissants with chocolate spread. Maybe in a few days I'll be craving my usual morning protein smoothie, but right now, mmmmm...
Our next stop is Florence, and while it is a smaller city than Roma, in Florence it is just a short distance to the edge of town and the outlying Tuscan country side, making for easily accessible bike rides through famous gardens and the lush properties of the once wealthy Medici family. Can't wait!
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