The Best Way to See Rome? On a Running Tour at Sunrise | Condé Nast Traveler

"An early-morning run through Rome with this company felt like discovering a different city: Isa Calidonna—licensed tour guide, running coach, and archaeologist with a PhD in art history—paced me along sleepy sampietrini streets and toward hidden Madonnelle shrines, sharing the small, easily missed details that offer insight and context. Founded just before the pandemic, it offers private tours and a special Jubilee run highlighting the city’s Madonnelle; options include the best of Rome ticking off major landmarks, a scenic route through the tranquil gardens of Villa Borghese, a classic Colosseum tour, and even an Emily in Paris–themed tour. All routes are around three miles with plenty of built-in stops, can be adapted for all abilities (even power walking), and, as a novice runner, the perfectly judged pacing and hill awareness meant it never felt strenuous yet still left me feeling accomplished—and back at my hotel before 9 a.m., buzzing with the rare sense of having Rome’s icons to myself." - Sophie Prideaux