Travel and run: Venice

It is becoming more and more common to combine travelling with sports these days, especially running, which can be easily done anywhere. This article presents a city that is both a popular holiday destination and a fascinating place for runners.

Venice is often considered one of the most beautiful cities in the world, located on 118 small islands in northeastern Italy. The islands are connected by more than 400 bridges arching across the city’s omnipresent canals. The numbers may be a bit misleading though, since the city itself is actually quite small. The historical city area, which encompasses the islands and canals, populates only as little as about 60,000 people, although it is estimated that on average, 50,000 tourists visit the small city every day.

There is an extraordinary aspect to the city center, which is easily noticeable in the street scene: there are no cars. This is part of the reason why Venice is considered such a pleasant – and even relaxing – place to visit. Even though the city is densely constructed and there can be lots of tourists crowding the streets, there is no traffic causing noise or air pollution. Instead of cars, people get around by foot or by boats riding the canals, which basically serve as the roads of Venice. The quickest way to skim the canals is to use a water bus or a water taxi but for a more pleasant ride one may consider taking ride on a gondola, the traditional Venetian rowing boat that has been used in the canals for centuries. Riding a gondola, you can see the sights of the city, such as the Rialto Bridge and the Grand Canal, and possibly even be serenaded with traditional Italian songs by the gondolier. If gondolas rock your boat you might also be interested in checking out Lo Squero di San Trovaso, a shipyard where gondolas are built and repaired.

Estimated to have been founded in the 5th century, the city is renowned for its beautiful architecture and art. There is a number of interesting museums to visit, such as the Glass Museum and the Shoe Museum (Museo Rossimora della Calzatura) with its collection of 1,700 models of women’s luxury footwear. There are also plenty of historical churches in the city, the Patriarchal Cathedral Basilica of Saint Mark, completed in 832, being the most well-known of them. If you are into churches, you might also want to check out San Giacomo di Rialto, which is estimated to be the oldest church in the city, its dedication dated to the year 421. Other notable sights include the Doge’s Palace on San Marco Square, built in a Gothic style, as well as Scuola grande di San Rocco, a building constructed in the 16th century featuring a number of artworks by the famous painter, Tintoretto.

The absence of cars and the beautiful architecture make Venice a pleasant city to walk around in. Since the historical city area is of a rather moderate size, it is easy to cover distances by foot. However, the small streets and narrow valleys can make it easy to get lost in the city. But luckily for the visitor, there are plenty of signs pointing towards central places everywhere in the city. According to an article in Blaze Travel Guides, Venice is not necessarily the easiest place for a runner: in addition to the high risk of getting lost, the streets are narrow and often crowded. This can be particularly challenging during “acqua alta”, flooding that regularly occurs in the city especially in the period between October and April. Despite the challenges, Blaze Travel Guides still considers Venice “one of the most amazing places to run in Europe”.

Venicemarathon

One of the IAAF Silver Label Road Races, Venicemarathon has been organized since 1986. This year the number of participants is limited to 8,000. The AIMS-certified course is flat and fast with very few inclines. The marathon starts in a small town outside Venice called Stra in the vicinity of Villa Pisani, a large late baroque mansion facing the Brenta canal. Along with Villa Pisani, the track that leads to the historical city of Venice features a number of mansions built by wealthy Venetian nobles in the 18th century. The course progresses through beautiful historical landscape passing through Marghera and Mestre, areas of the mainland of Venice, and then winds through San Giuliano’s park before leading to the historical city. In fact, the better part of the marathon is run not on the islands of Venice but on the mainland.

The actual historical city of Venice is reached by a particularly long bridge, Ponte della Libertá, almost four kilometers in length. Within the city, the course passes through central areas, featuring some of the sights, such as the Grand Canal and the Doge’s Palace. The part of the route that is run on the islands features fourteen smaller bridges arching over the canals, while the Grand Canal is crossed on a pontoon bridge built for the race. The finish line is located on Riva dei Sette Martiri (the Bank of the Seven Martyrs), a monumental river bank constructed in the 1930s.

The 29th edition of Venicemarathon takes place on October 26, 2014. You can sign up for the race here.