Leggings & Fortezzas

My sleeping pattern has somehow messed up and today I woke up at 5:30am ready to start my day. This was great because I’ve been meaning to wake up early to go jogging and while the sun rises in Italy. So I grabbed my ipod and leggings and running shoes and went for a jog this morning around the Fortezza. I chose the Fortezza because my Italian professor recommended that we run there. She said that the only people who run there are men and foreigners because no Italian woman would ever go running. She also suggested we dress up because, when it is actually done, it is an event that is all about seeing people and being seen.

I think I went too early for it to be “an event” because I was the only person there for a long time and only later saw an older man. I also didn’t dress up. I also didn’t care that I looked like a foreigner because I have long given up any hope of blending in here as a 5’10 blue-eyed blonde with an American accent. (And yes I have now heard the European warning so I will try to keep my American-ness to a minimum.) The views up there were so spectacular, I could see the city and then far outside the city to the rolling hills. A few hot air-balloons were even out. Next time I will bring my camera. I also listened to some great old music that absolutely doesn’t fit with Italy but somehow perfectly fit with my morning like this:

So overall, it turns out that running at sea-level at sun-rise in Tuscany is a lot of fun, who knew. Also, upon hearing what I accomplished this morning my South African roommate told me more than once that she was “so impressed she wants to vomit”. So I hope this post did not make anyone else want to vomit.