Submitted by Mia Natale on the 2016 winter session program in Siena, Italy sponsored by the Department of Languages, Literatures and Cultures…
I love to run. I love exercise in general. In fact, I crave it, so this program has been a personal test to see how I adapt to an environment where conventional exercise is hard to come by. In addition to simply my personal need to workout, I’m also missing out on the first two weeks of winter training with my team back at UD. This makes exercise not just a personal preference, but also a necessity. It’s been quite difficult to find a balance between exercise and travelling. Our days are completely full, from dawn to dusk, with tours of museums, cities, factories that produce specialties of the region, and of course, at least four hours of Italian classes per weekday. I am also someone who doesn’t like to waste daylight, always exploring my surroundings and finding hidden gems off the beaten path during my limited free time. This makes exercise an interesting priority level, and when it gets high enough, I have figured out a way to accomplish both exploring and exercising.
After realizing, I wouldn’t have easy access to a gym, it was obvious exercise would have to be outside, but I didn’t realize the opportunities exercise would open up to me, drastically improving my experience while abroad. The first run I went on in Siena was spectacular. We really hadn’t explored the city yet and knowing that I have a decent sense of general direction and a knack for finding my way back eventually, I ventured out aimlessly into my new home. Because I lacked a data plan, the only music I had access to was my two-year-old playlist from my senior year lacrosse season. The first thing I noticed while zipping through the narrow cobblestone streets, listening to the hottest hits of 2014, was the fact that I was the only person running. Not only that, but I was drawing stares and looks of complete fascination mixed with confusion from the locals. I quickly realized that city running must not be that common. I decided that I wasn’t going to let it stop me and continued on. I was going at quite a pace, trying to keep my fitness level where it should be if I was at practice, but my speed didn’t prevent me from running with my head on a swivel, trying to take in the beauty of the medieval city. I had no shame in coming to a complete stop to take pictures of the most incredible views I had ever seen, just to take off again just a few seconds later, trying to maintain that balance between exercise and exploration. I all of a sudden found myself outside the ancient city walls, clearly quite a distance from my home on the opposite side of Siena. I decided that I would take the road that follows the outside of the city wall, knowing that eventually I would make it back to the other side of the city and re-enter near my home. After about 20 minutes of this, I realized that I was running out of time to get home in time for school, so I turned around and retraced my steps, eventually making it back.
This first run was such an eye-opener for me. I got a better understanding of the organization and orientation of the city, saw piazzas, churches and breathtaking views of Tuscany and the rest of the city, and further explored the few streets I had already walked. Even now, two weeks later, none of my classmates have even set eyes on this northeastern section of the city. In the runs I’ve taken since then, I have continued to gain confidence in my knowledge of my new home and have seen more and more places and monuments than any of my classmates. I can confidently navigate my way through most of the alleyways, shortcuts and hidden streets of Siena and have seen fortresses, sunrises and sunsets over Tuscany, and the local way of life thanks to my need and love for running.
