Rome, Italy is one of the world’s great cities to visit. Filled with antiquities, wonderful historic sites, lovely old neighborhoods and great restaurants, it’s also a fantastic walking city. The running scene has been improving. Yes, there are busy, traffic-choked roads, tangled lanes difficult to navigate, and the air quality can be poor in the summer — but there are great places to run within proximity to where most travelers stay. The Rome metro area is divided into 15 ‘Districts’ (Municipio) inside the A90 Belt Road.
Highlights of Rome running include a nearly 9-mile “Rome Sights” tour, including some of the principal landmarks and historic sites (go early or on Sundays!). Running along the Tiber River can be a pleasure, especially since a bike path along part of it was put in a few years ago. Rome’s three largest parks – Villa Borghese, Villa Ada, and Villa Pamphili are also terrific for running. And running on the historic Via Appia Antica and the Parco de Caffarella is one of the most unique runs in the world. Southeast of the city, there are running paths passing ancient aqueducts in the Parco degli Acquedotti. Northeast of the city, the Valle dell’Aniene is a terrific linear park path. And it’s worth the trip to Anzio for the lovely seaside path. If you’d like to have an in-person guided running experience in Rome, we highly recommend our friends at Go! Running Tours.
Running in Rome will undoubtedly incorporate some of its famous “seven hills” east of the Tiber, as well as Vatican Hill and Janiculum northwest of the river. For transport, there is are two metro lines, which go round rather than through the historic city. There’s an extensive bus system.
Note: a few key words for runners: Via=street; Villa=Park
