Admiring the Roman aqueducts during cross country races at Rome’s Tor Tre Teste

For years, I would rise early morning Sundays in the fall and winter to take my youngest son to compete in cross-country races. Now he competes exclusively in track and field, which means early weekend mornings are at tracks instead of cross-country sites.

Kind of a shame because the cross-country sites in Italy are spectacular, such as the amazing runs through ancient aqueducts.

This race was at the Tor Tre Teste park, in a suburb of Rome. I love that the race course winds through these Ancient Roman aqueducts.

Bleary-eyed early-rising moms like me appreciate enjoying these spectacular locales. Over the years, these races have introduced me to so many parks with ancient ruins.

So while I always love atending my son’s track meets, I will miss all the great races in these Italian hidden gems.

So happy to have discovered all of these wonderful venues. Even without races, I’ll need to make an effort to get out to these parks for walks and picnics … even if I’ll miss that shot of the gun and the stampede that start those early morning cross-country races.

And they’re off…..!