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| Getting Exercise in Florence |
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How to stay in shape while living in Florence.
This obviously isn't the greenest of cities. There aren't many parks, hardly any trees in fact, the pollution can be awful and all of those great restaurants and aperitivi don't exactly encourage Spartan living. It needn't be the end of your healthy living though; after all, an overweight Italian is a rare sight and no-one can accuse the football world champions of not being sporty. The only problem in Florence is access – finding the right place and the right activity to suit you.
Walking If you have moved here for a while then there'll be no getting away from it. A few kilometres a day makes all the difference at you'll probably find Florence better suited than many cities for getting around on foot. The hills surrounding Florence also have several designated hiking trails which are lovely in spring time. A Kompass hiking map can be found at most book shops
Jogging Italians, on the whole, aren't very enthusiastic joggers. They, especially ladies, are also very unlikely to be found jogging around their neighbourhood. Nevertheless, parco delle Cascine which is on the river on the east of the city, and parco Albereta which is on the south of the river to the west are nice spots to get away from the traffic and run in peace.
Cycling Sadly the grand old velodrome is no more, but cycling enthusiasts still have the whole of Tuscany at their fingertips. Rolling countryside, stunning view and the occasional glass of wine are all a pedal away. Its just those hills... For a guided bike tour of Tuscany, visit the Tuscany Bike Tours website For day-to-day cycling, Florence can be a bit of a mixed bag. On the upside a lot of people get around by bike and its reasonable safe to do so if you avoid the 4-lane viali and don't panic as motorini speed past you in the delightfully reckless Italian way. Also, this being southern Europe, no-one will laugh at you if you are a man riding a girly bike which means you don't have to fork out for a mountain bike to maintain your machismo. On the downside it seems that almost everyone in the city is an opportunist bike thief and buying a bike is a bit like entering a property distribution programme from which you benefit very little.
The Gym For me they are fit for Dante's third circle of hell, but millions of people seem to love them. The facilities of Florentine gyms might be a bit limited as most in the centre are housed in typical palazzi and are therefore quite small. There are a few private gyms around Florence, most with an average monthly membership fee of around €60. Student discounts may be available so do ask. The Pagine Gialle lists some here, and there are some more here from google.
Swimming The best swimming in Florence is in the outdoor pools in the spring and summer time. Le Pavoniere is open from May-September and is located in the parco delle Cascine, here. There is an Olympic swimming and diving pool here at Piscina Costoli and a smaller pool here at Piscina Bellariva on lungarno Aldo Moro, here.
Football ...or soccer...or calcio is the national sport and is almost as engrained in the social fabric as the Church. The fact that Italy won the world cup tells you that football is well nurtured and widely available here. In urban areas like Florence you are more likely to play calcetto (5-a-side), but there are many football clubs with full-size pitches around the city. For a cheap game of calcetto in a nice spot on the river, try Albereta 2000 which is just by Ponte da Verrazzano, here.
Volleyball Another very popular sport in Italy, and another at which Italy excels as a national team. You should be able to find a court at most parks and calcetto centres Again, a nice cheap spot to rent a court is try Albereta 2000 which, again, is just by Ponte da Verrazzano, here.
If you are looking for a game to get involved with, check the moflo sport & free time forum (just click on q&a forums on the left of the page) – you can even post a new topic and get a game going yourself.
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