I made a split quick decision to go back to my hometown in Upstate NY over the Christmas holiday. Reeling from a recent break-up, the emotional weight of the pandemic and having just moved into a new apartment, I was already feeling down in the dumps when BOOM! The Italian government slaps down a whole new set of restrictions one week before the Christmas holiday. My only solution to keeping my sanity was to go back “home”.
And that I did! Thankfully, I was able to spend a quiet, peaceful and recharging time with family and friends in Upstate New York. But when it was time to return to Italy’s newest set of post-Christmas restrictions, I wasn’t sure how I would handle it.
My solution? Outdoor fitness. And everybody else’s as well!
Some of the most popular sports past times these days around Rome are walking, running and biking through Rome’s many parks and dedicated biking paths, dog walking, skate boarding and stand-up scootering, as well as solo and group fitness at parks, stadiums and bridges – and the newest fad I have seen take the spotlight in popularity; padel tennis.
My drug of choice? Biking has saved my ass (but not very literally).
What started out as easy short rides around town, easily turned into 15-20 km rides along the Tiber river on the paved and mostly flat “pista ciclabile”. Or in English, the bike path. On an old rusty city style cruising bike with no gears, a rusty chain and flower baskets on the front and the bike. As I look back upon my bike evolution, it gives me a good chuckle as I must have been a sight to see. Lucky me, a kind friend offered to lend me her office Mt. Bike and I quickly obliged. It has changed my life.
Now, my rides are looking more like 40km on average and I am discovering parts of Rome I never knew existed. I just love being outdoors, feeling the cool wind and enjoying the sights on two wheels. Every day, I get to connect with other bikers, see tons of animals, feel the Roman sun, enjoy the sights of nature, bike through Rome’s open air museums and even sometimes take a pitstop for a herd of goat or sheep.
I just can’t get enough. While I still long for days of normalcy to arrive, I will happily enjoy the present from my pedaling perspective.
