Run anyone?

The Villa Doria Pamphilj is Rome's largest park and we are lucky to have it just a few blocks from the Academy. First thing in the morning I try to head here to take a run (though sometimes it turns into a walk). The size and excitement of this park prove to be good motivation for putting on athletic shoes. It's always full of fellow movers: soccer players, readers, dog walkers, bikers, but especially, pairs of old jogging men wearing matching spandex or assorted sweat suits. The park has been here since 1644, so I imagine that some of them have been doing the same route at least half that long. Here are some photos from various parts of the park. Don't think traditional park with one large open space; think many, many open spaces connected by paths, trails and plains. One of my absolute favorite things about the park are the pockets of Umbrella trees that can be seen from most any vantage point.