It’s no secret that I love Rome.  It’s one of my favorite cities in the world, and no matter how many times I return, I’m constantly reminded that there’s always more to discover.  During my most recent visit in April, I treated myself to a private running tour with Isabella of ArcheoRunning.  Isa, as she warmly goes by, has a PhD in art history and a passion for running.  She created ArcheoRunning in 2016, which offers the first certified running tours in Rome, along with walking tours and other themed experiences.  She’s an official tour guide and all tours are private, meaning the experience you book will be just for you and your group.

I has been waiting for the right opportunity to book a tour with ArcheoRunning for years.  What could be better than combining my enjoyment of running with that of digging deeper into a city I know and love?  Isa offers a variety of both running and walking tours, as well as custom itineraries, and I choose the Hidden Rome running tour.  The meeting place was the Fontana dei Quattro Fiumi in the beautiful Piazza Navona, which was right around the corner from the apartment where I was staying (if you’re looking for a recommendation – I’m happy to share!).  We met early in the morning when the springtime air was still cool and heavy with a lingering fog, and all of the tourists had yet to emerge onto the Roman streets.

Isa arrived right on time and we spent a few minutes getting to know each other before setting out.  I was initially worried that an hour-long running tour would be a bit taxing.  Quite the opposite, we would jog from one location to another, stopping to talk about traces of the past that remain hidden in plain sight.

While I’m going to give you a play-by-play account of my running tour (I don’t want to spoil the magic and reveal all of Isa’s secrets of hidden Rome!), I will tell you that I learned a lot of new things as we made our way through small streets, alleyways, piazzas and more, details which my newly-trained eye could more easily spot during the remainder of my time in Rome.  Isa also treated me to a coffee at the historic Sant’ Eustachio Caffè towards the end of our tour, which concluded in front of the magnificent Pantheon just as the day’s tourists were beginning to emerge.

If you’re planning a trip to Rome – whether it’s your first or fifth – I highly recommend booking a tour with Isa and ArcheoRunning.  In fact, a little more than a year later I was back in Rome and running with Isa once again.  This time we ventured out to the Parco degli Acquedotti for a beautiful early morning Aqueducts Park running tour. I had not been to this part of the city in years and it was such a treat to visit again (on two feet rather than two wheels) with such a knowledgable guide and friend.

For more information about ArcheoRunning check out archeorunning.com.