Run your way through Italy

There are plenty of ways to see Italy. You could join the crowds in Rome, queue for a pho-to in Florence or spend your days hopping between famous landmarks. Or you could lace up your running shoes and follow the locals.

Launching in 2027, Eat and Run Running Tours is taking recreational runners into regional Italy for eight-day adventures that combine local races, great food and community connections most travellers miss.

Founded by Italian-Australian runner Tony Russo, the small-group tours explore regions including Tuscany, Emilia-Romagna, Trentino and the Aeolian Islands.

On paper, travelling halfway around the world to voluntarily run sounds slightly unhinged. Italy is, after all, a country best known for leisurely lunches, afternoon aperitivos and finding reasons to sit down. But that's exactly what makes these tours so intriguing.

In regional Italy, running isn't some solitary pursuit involving headphones and a fitness app. It's woven into local life. Many of the events are tied to community festivals, where hundreds of residents turn out not just to race, but to eat, socialise and celebrate afterwards. One minute you're jogging through a medieval town alongside locals. A few hours later you're sharing a table with them over a lunch that seems to have no intention of ending.

Each tour culminates in a local race, with routes passing through vineyard-covered hills, historic streets, mountain landscapes and coastal trails. Distances are tailored to the individual, ranging from 10 to 16 kilometres a day, making the experience accessible to every-day runners rather than elite athletes.

Between runs, guests can visit local markets, tour Parmigiano Reggiano producers, wander museums or simply recover in preparation for the next meal. Which, let's be honest, is probably the real endurance challenge. Lace up.

---