Races in Italy

Italy 🇮🇹. Always a special destination for the French. The history of our nations has intertwined; we share a love of good food and lazing around... Rome for the French 🇫🇷 is equivalent to Paris for Italians—an enduring love story! It’s hard to sum up Italy in just a few destinations, but you have to start somewhere. In the North, Milan remains the country’s economic capital, while Turin is a charming city, far from the industrial-city image (hi Fiat) we often have of it. We invite you to discover Turin’s little cafés, preserved in their 19th-century charm... A real must! Rome, its 7 hills and its wonders (Colosseum, Forum, Pantheon, Vatican...) needs no introduction. Venice and Naples are two seaside cities to visit, and each will leave an indelible mark on your memory. We could mention Lecce and its colors, Palermo (Sicily) and its contrasts... And we were about to forget the open-air museum that is Florence, as well as beautiful Verona, the city of Romeo and Juliet! Each region has its own culinary specialties. We recommend "carciofi alla giudia" in Rome (go in with your eyes closed) and the best pizza on the planet at da Michele in Naples. Beyond its cultural heritage, Italy has wonderful mountains in the north, the famous Dolomites ⛰. Part of the Alps massif to discover soon! The Apennine ranges cross all of Italy from north to south, offering a variety of landscapes across 20 Italian regions—notably the famous hills of Tuscany—and unspoiled nature for wolves 🐺 and bears 🐻! Sea, mountains, culinary passions, heritage: didn’t we tell you Italy and France were twins?!

Here to run the boot? Then let’s turn to Italy’s race calendar. All types of courses and distances are on the menu. Trail and trail lovers, as well as fans of road running, will find what they’re looking for. Among the most sought-after road races in Italy, let’s start with the Rome Marathon which, in addition to the mythical distance, also offers a course suited to all audiences—the Fun Race—and a relay race, Run4Rome. Because all roads also lead from Rome, the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon will take you to discover Ostia, a seaside resort popular with Romans. The Venice Marathon will give you the chance to admire Venice’s alleys, bridges, and many little squares. Want to get out of the cities, devour forests and breathe pure oxygen? The Dolomiti Extreme Trail, like many Italian nature races, counts toward the UTMB World Series. We also suggest you look at the program for the Tor X from afar—unless you feel ready to take on its different courses. Including a “shy” 450 km self-sufficient route... 😨 By the way, before we forget, did you know that vertical races were born in Italy? No? Then sign up for the Bei K3 if you want to feast on elevation gain—in this case, the Rochemelon, a massif located right in the heart of Piedmont.

Wait, put the sneakers down for a minute 🤔. Italy is also a country for multisport diehards. On the triathlon side, head to Cervia, in Emilia-Romagna, which hosts every September the only Italian long-distance Ironman event. Want to link swimming and running with no transition? Swimrun has found in Italy a golden playground, from the turquoise waters of Sardinia to the stages of the SwimTheIsland circuit. Prefer to swallow mountain passes on tarmac? Italian cyclosportives are among the most legendary in Europe. The Maratona dles Dolomites, whose bibs sell out in a matter of seconds, takes you over the Dolomites’ legendary passes. La Nove Colli of Cesenatico has you climb the hills of the Apennines. And for those who like it when it crunches under the tires, gravel has its temple in Tuscany: Nova Eroica Buonconvento and its big sister, L'Eroica, send you onto the famous strade bianche, those white, unpaved roads in the heart of Tuscany, between Chianti vineyards and Val d'Orcia. Vintage steel bike or cutting-edge gravel, the spirit remains the same: race, ride, relax 🚴.

Mamma mia! Living is choosing, they said...