Day 356 – EU – Italy [Modena to Bologna]

26/03/21

39km

  From Modena (Italy) to Bologna (Italy)

Europe

On a straight line to Bologna, sunny, quiet and a rest day ahead

The outilne of the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca

I measured my luck today. It’s my second week of running in Italy and despite the strict lockdown that was announced, movement is still allowed and everything saved for restaurants and indoor entertainment venues remain open. The weather is absolutely wonderful, I am blessed with blue sky and sunshine every single day. Temperatures are balmy. It could not possibly get any better. Far ahead in the background I could see the outline of the Sanctuary of the Madonna di San Luca. It looked beautiful.

“The man carrying a truck” – quite aptly named!

As I arrived near Bologna, on what was an uneventful straight line run from Modena, I was greeted by a strange statue at the Gasbarrini roundabout. A 12m high metallic man carrying a truck on his back. I stopped by to Google it and see what the artists had to say about it. One sentence struck me as one of the architects said: “The dimension is a provocation to shake off the routine, an invitation to let the imagination run wild.” A sentence perfectly fitted to the world run… Is that to say the world run is a piece of art, or is that taking it a step too far!

San Felix Gate at the west entry to Bologna

I’m in Bologna today and tomorrow is a rest day. I will try and visit the landmarks of this beautiful city. I am surprised how every place I run through is so beautiful and rich in history and tradition here. And there is so much more to come as I will head south towards Rome and Naples. Italy is a truly beautiful country. Next week I will also leave the Po Valley and get some hilly runs as I will cross the Apennines over to the west coast of the country – and get to see the sea again…

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: