by Maria E. Bellini This article originally appeared in Ultrarunning World 12 Time, time, time: “I shall be too late!” Depending on our level of mental clarity, chilometres, metres and minutes may all turn out to become the toxic ingredients of a thick soup of despair, slowly simmering away in our mind. Some of us […]
Tag archives: apennines
Mud in my brain – Trail del Cinghiale 2018
L’anno scorso sono arrivato primo nella 90 km del Trail del Cinghiale – Leopodistica A.S.D. Quest’anno, tuttavia, c’erano alcuni trailer davvero forti che erano iscritti e sapevo che avrei dovuto lottare per conquistare un posto sul podio … … E poi un giorno, un paio di settimane prima della gara mentre mi stavo allenando vicino […]
Diventando Ultratrailer – Carl Johan Sörman
di Maria E. Bellini Carl Johan Sörman, viene dalla zona di Malmö, nel sud della Svezia. Un luogo che ci può accendere uno scenario dipinto da interni puliti accentati da un certo rigore. Dove l’ubiquità della tecnologia smart è dogma, e dove una fusione di calma-zen alimenta la somma essenza nordica. E poi c’è il […]
AVP 501 Endurance Trail
AVP 501 – Just when you thought that Italian trail races couldn’t get any longer, what with epic Tor Des Géants® offering a route that’s approximately 330km long, 2018 will see the first edition of the the AVP501 Endurance Trail. And yes – “501” refers to the kilometers that you’ll be doing in the race. […]
Parco Nazionale dell’Appennino Tosco Emiliano
Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park This is one of Italy’s youngest 25 national parks. Designated in 2001 the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine National Park covers the stretch of Apennine mountain ridges that joins Emilia-Romagna to Tuscany. In the video, the trails between Parma’s Berceto and Modena’s Lago Santo, along the Long Distance footpath the Alta Via Dei Parchi. By Aereisentieri […]
Pisa’s Trail Monte Penna
By Carl Johan Sörman Trail del Monte Penna, 30k, 1300 vertical meters – 4 February 2018 – Molina di Quosa Pisa, Italy It’s Monday, one week before the race… Things are not looking too good. a) I have to shorten my daily workout due to my Achilles tendon, which has been sore for the last […]
Come Hell or High Water! Trail del Cinghiale
Words by Maria E. Bellini The Show Must Go On – Trail del Cinghiale An alarming weather forecast of thunderstorms, gales and torrential rain didn’t stop 457 intrepid trail runners standing behind the start line of the Trail del Cinghiale 2017, in Plazzuolo sul Senio – Italy. Thankfully the weather forecast proved slightly off mark, […]
Lago Santo Mountain Race – The Spirit of Scotland
In one of the most remote parts of the Tosco-Emiliano Apennines, on Sunday 15th of October, Trail Runners will take to the trails in the first edition of the Lago Santo Mountain Race, organized by Team Mud and Snow. Two routes on offer: a competitive 20Km with 1400m D + and a gentler non competitive […]
Trail del Bucamante – Waterfalls and Amore
by Maria E. Bellini The mysterious Bucamante Waterfalls, in the province of Modena are part of the setting for the long awaited race – the Trail del Bucamante Reloaded 2017. This medium length Trail running event gets down to some serious elevation with over 1900m in 35km! Part of the Uisp Emilia Romagna Trail Series, […]
From Espoo to Mount Ventasso, Reggio-Emilia
by Maria E. Bellini Espoo – Finland – Winter 2016 Hans Swahn was wondering what to do with his forthcoming holiday break. He had an incredible three months off work lined up for summer 2017. What was termed as an extended break. He shuffled the papers on his desk, and slowly breathed in the cool, calming environment […]
Trail Running Around Dante’s Rock
by Maria E. Bellini Coming up soon on September the 3rd 2017 in Castelnovo ne’ Monti – in the Reggio-Emilia Apennines, is the much loved Trail della Pietra – The ‘Rock Trail’ – and when we say ‘rock‘ – which is the translation of ‘pietra‘… we mean a BIG one… none other than the Bismantova […]
A Selection of Trails – Chasing The Sun
If you’re traveling to Italy this September, why not try one of these end of summer trail races? September – What makes this a good month for an Italian trail race? Well, the heat will have eased off significantly. The holiday crowds will be less – in respect to July and August. Hotel and accommodation prices should be lower […]
5 Reasons to Run The Ecomaratona Del Ventasso
We won’t lie… this is a tough 42km trail race. With a couple of notoriously steep climbs, the Ventasso Ecomarathon – named after Mount Ventasso – the 1727 meter mountain that runners summit, is demanding. Each July, for the past 15 years the Ventasso Ecomarathon, that takes place in the Reggio-Emilia Apennines in Emilia-Romagna, has welcomed runners […]
Ecomaratona del Ventasso – Ventasso Trail Marathon
Experience The History of Trail! Now in it’s 15th year, this is one of Italy’s oldest and most well respected Trail Races. Each year on the second Sunday of July several hundred italian and international trail runners hit the trails in the Appennino Reggiano – Reggio-Emilia’s Apennines – and tackle the grueling 42k race route that […]
An Introduction to C.A.I. Italy’s Mountaineering Association
by Maria E. Bellini C.A.I. The Italian Alpine Club – Taking Care of Italy’s Trails and More This is the first, in a series of articles about “C.A.I. Club Alpino Italiano”, Italy’s principle Mountaineering Association. Here we present a brief overview of what C.A.I. is all about. About C.A.I. The main Italian association responsible for the maintenance […]
A Morning in Badia Prataglia and a Camera
by Maria E. Bellini It was a steaming day here in Parma, a climate more akin to the tropics than to northern Italy. The week look set to be a long one, and even my phone’s ID technology wouldn’t recognize my sweaty index finger as I prodded away at the screen trying to access my messages. Eventually […]
Lizzano Extreme Skyrace – Thrills In the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines
Where Does The Race Take Place? The thrilling Lizzano Extreme Skyrace, extreme not only by name… Set in Emilia-Romagna, the Lizzano Extreme Skyrace takes place on June 18th 2017 – along the demanding trails of the Corno alle Scale Regional Park high up in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines just south of the University City of Bologna. The Corno alle Scale Park, […]
Preparing for the Trails in Italy with Martin John Trout
Interview by Maria E. Bellini Spring is in full swing, with the sun eagerly knocking at the door, as hot Italian weather seeps into everyday life. Escape to the trails and you won’t be alone. Outdoor lovers are out and about as the hiking and trail running season sprightly blossoms into summer. I tracked down […]
A Giant Foam Salami, Scorching Sun And Wonderful Trails
by Maria E. Bellini Trail del Salame 2017 – 28th May 2017, San Michele Tiorre, Felino – Parma, Italy It’s not that easy to be objective about featuring your own running club’s yearly Trail race. You kind of love it on principle. The underlying humour that seems to be at the core of this hilly trail […]
Emilia-Romagna, Authentic and Plentiful
by Maria E. Bellini Where is Emilia-Romagna? Emilia-Romagna, one of Italy’s 20 regions is located in the top half of Italy. To the north of the region lies the flatlands that sprawl out around the River Po. The southern part is mountainous with the Po valley slowly giving way to soft hills that become the vast […]