Bike and Hike along the Via Appia Antica and other Rome, Italy Sports Travel Tips

Theme: Hiking

Bike riding and jogging along the Appial Way are favorites of the Roman locals.


Leave a Comment

Theme: Sports Watching

Whether you are participant or spectator (like I am) - this is one of the city's most atmospheric sporting events during which the city centre is transformed into a no-traffic zone - animated with concerts and performances that celebrate this festival of sport.

As well as the marathon there will be the traditional "Fun Run" (a non-competitive event open to all).

"Marathone Village", food stalls, toilets, shuttle services, police services and first aid points will also be available so that everyone might totally enjoy the event.


Leave a Comment

Phone: 06 40 65 06 4
Address: Via dei Fori Imperiali (Colosseo)
Directions: Forum/Colloseum

A day of horseback riding on the farm of Macchia Grande and the ancient Appian Way. You will have a guide responsible for the horses. This excursion is recommended for people who have ridden horses before as the itinerary in the wood may be difficult for people with no experience. In any case before departure, you will receive a basic lesson and instruction on horse back riding. After the tour, you can enjoy a refreshment/aperitif and a moment of relaxation at the horse farm.

At around lunch time you travel by limo from the horse farm to the restaurant "Da Tonino" on the lake shore (Lake Bracciano.) After lunch you will visit the Medieval Castle of Bracciano and then enjoy a walk in the old town centre. Before returning to Rome and time permitting there is a scenic drive to the ancient town of Sutri to visit the ancient Roman amphitheatre carved in the Tufa rock, and the nearby Etruscan necropolis.

Tour costs: depends on the use of the limo (time and mileage) and on the time. The tour described above (FROM ROME) with private guide for the day, horse back riding trip in Macchia Grande and limo service for 4-7 people costs approx: +E440 (guide) + horses (E28 per horse) +E400 limo VAN (max 8 passengers, 7 of you + 1 guide.) Admissions to the Castle and lunch are extra.

Equipment: Caps are provided by the horse farm. We suggest you wear comfortable clothes (jeans and comfortable shoes) if you do not have riding boots.

Leave a Comment

Theme: Sports Watching

Harness racing is a form of horseracing in which the horses race in a specified gait--either the trot or the pace. They also usually pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies, although races to saddle are still occasionally conducted.
Tor di Valle racetrack is on the outskirts of Southern Rome. It really appears to be the richest test for sophomore trotters found in Italy.
The complete area is comprised of 420,000 square metres of which 120,000 are dedicated to the public, 100,000 to the race track, 100,000 to the stable area and 100,000 to varied use. The stable area (a total of 730 boxes) includes: 115 saddle-rooms, 2 storehouses, 4 smithies, a manure box, veterinary service, isolation boxes, lodging and services for personnel, a restaurant, cafeteria, a coffee shop and 2 reserved parking lots.
Entrance fee is 3 Euro.
It is reachable from the city's centre by taking the Via del Mare in direction of Ostia or via the Gran Raccordo Anulare by taking the Via Ostiense (exit 28) in direction of Rome. The Racecourse is also accessible by public transport by taking the Subway B Line to the Magliana station followed by the Ostia-bound train till the Tor di Valle station. It is also possible to take a shuttle bus directly from the Magliana Subway station to the Tor di Valle Racetrack.


Leave a Comment

Phone: 06 5290204 Restaurant reservtn
Directions: Outskirts of Southern Rome - see tip description for detailed directions

Theme: Golfing

I can't imagine who might look to golf in Rome - but then, Rome has everything and golf in Rome is no exception. You also may find golf slightly expensive here. It's not such a big thing in southern Italy, more popular in the north around places like Milan, but rather exclusive and elitist. There are a few golf clubs in and around Rome. Try the CIRCOLO DEL GOLF ROMA - address/phone below.

Equipment: Visitors to Rome can also purchase a Golf Card, a pass allowing you one week’s access (week-days only) to any of four selected golf clubs in the Rome area (at Castelgandolfo, Olgiata, Guidonia and Sutri) and also gets you some selected discounts in some of these clubs’ restaurants, shops and amenities.
The card (actually called ‘The Roma Caput Mundi Itinere Golf Card’) comes with full details of directions and descriptions of each golf course, costs about 180 Euros and is valid for one person only. For further information try emailing itinere@mclink.it, phone (0039)06 8069 0198

Leave a Comment

Phone: 06 7885 1922
Address: 716 Via Appia Nuova
Directions: Circolo del Golf Roma Just south-east of central Rome, slightly east of the San Sebastiano catacombs area.
Website: http://www.golfroma.it/

Theme: Surfing

In late autumn and winter the Mediterranean starts to rough up a bit. Although it never gets really cold in winter, all the tourists and most of the local Italians desert the beaches, which leaves traffic nicely clear for surfing. In Italy these days, particularly in the Rome area, surfing is on the rise. In recent years, with the popularity of extreme sports, European tourists have earnestly sought out beaches for the oldest extreme sport of them all, thus Italians too are now joining in the rush to find the perfect wave.
You can get a little bit of surfing done closest to Rome at beaches at or near Ostia and Fiumicino, but it can get crowded with a high gremmie content. CORALLO BEACH webcam is below where you can actually monitor the surf.
For better spots, you need to travel further south down the coast to Anzio or Torre Paola near Sabaudia, though both these venues are sheltered by marinas and have gentle waves favoured for training and novices.
For more serious surfing, head further south still, a couple of hour’s drive almost as far as Naples, to the town of Gaeta, which has two sandy beaches, Sant’Agostino and Serapo, where the waves can reach six or seven feet.
If you want bigger stuff, an hour north of Rome is where you should be, as things can get a little hairy at Santa Marinella, just south of Civitavecchia, where strong but variable winds often prevail, and long, powerful waves can reach ten feet. Watch out for your feet at this beach though, the bed is covered in sea urchins. They call this spot the Italian Banzai and it’s such a draw that some guys have gotten together to form the Banzai Surf Club, based at Via G. Lucina 50, telephone 0766 510720

Equipment: You'll find a surf gear store at Anzio called Kua Aina’s Surfer, it’s at Via Gramsci 58, phone 06 983 0636.

Leave a Comment

Address: Lido Ostia
Directions: Ostia
Website: http://www.corallobeach.com/tlc/cam1.htm

Theme: Other

March 28, 2006 - 10,034 MARATHON FINISHERS
10,034 marathon finishers, of which 1546 women and 56 disabled athletes!

2007 ROME MARATHON SCHEDULED FOR MARCH 18

Marathons run in the largest cities of the world have become a very popular event and the Rome Marathon has seen a growing number of participants, with a large foreign attendance, even though it lacks the reputation of the Boston Marathon and the star-power of the New York one. The event takes place on a Sunday in March when a fine day does not mean a hot day yet.
The starting and finishing points are set at the Colosseum, which with St. Peter's is no doubt the best known monument of Rome. The marathon is part of the International Association of Athletics Federations yearly planned events. The participants to the marathon are in the region of 10,000, but the attendance to the 5 km Fun Race reaches an attendance of some 26,000 runners.
As a matter of fact the start of the race is given with the "professional" athletes in the first lines so that they can immediately compete for victory without having to find their way through the scores whose main objective is just to complete the marathon. In the picture on the left, taken at the first kilometer from the start, the best runners are already in key positions.

Photo 2 - The many participants who have combined the marathon with a Roman holiday smile to the camera to bring home a memento of their attendance at the event. Many hotels offer a special package for those coming to Rome to take part in the event.

Photo 3 - While a certain number of runners are dedicated to this kind of sport and take very seriously the agonistic side of the event, others are more inclined to have some fun, although their equipment might not be the most suitable for completing the 42 kilometers long run. In some cases the runners are soliciting donations for charities or expressing their support for a noble cause.


Leave a Comment

Directions: The starting and finishing points are set at the Colosseum