Day 406 – EU – Italy [Cotignola to Argenta]

15/05/21

33km

  From Cotignola (Italy) to Argenta (Italy)

Europe

A green, flat and quiet run in rural Italy, bringing memories back…

Running in the country

It feels very strange to run in this particular region of Italy at this time of the year. Last year, early June 2020, I restarted the world run and within a few days I reached Forli and Ravenna. The region I am crossing again now (though on different routes). The landscapes are similar, the colors, the towns… Last year’s stages are very vivid in my mind, I was restarting the world run and I felt very privileged to be on the road again. It’s now like being back in the same road movie again.

Lugo’s Este Caslte

I ran through Lugo early in the morning and it was beautiful. The Este castle, the pavaglione, the square with the immense monument dedicated to Francesco Baracca, Italy’s WWI hero. Trivia: Francesco wore a picture of a horse prancing on its two rear hooves at the side of his fighting plane. It is the inspiration that became the logo of the …. Ferrari cars! Obviously an Italian legend in its own right, now I understand the enormity of the monument in his honour on the central square of Lugo (his birthplace).

Argenta Santuario della Cellatta

I finished the run in Argenta, having mostly run on secondary country roads. Though it was a Saturday, early and in a post-lockdown context, I could not find a place to eat. I am surprised how the excitement I found on the coastline is nowhere to be found here. The restaurants on the coast were open and many people were obviously enjoying the privilege. Life in small country villages is much more simple and it seems people still prefer to remain indoors. Wise.

Check my daily run GPS data on or

Here is the map of today’s run: