Rome Marathon

The annual Maratona della Città di Roma attracts some big-name runners, hordes of amateur pavement-pounders and flocks of locals and visitors just happy to observe the sporting activity along city streets marvellously empty of motor vehicles. A party atmosphere prevails as runners – 16,000 of them in 2017 – set off jubilantly south... then limp back through the centro storico to the finishing line. The serious race begins and ends in via dei Fori Imperiali; sign up online (the sooner you register, the lower the fee). The Stracittadina fun-run, which takes place on the same day, is a five-kilometre (three-mile) jog past some of Rome’s most glorious ancient sites: you can wear your skates or bring your dog if you wish.