Villa Ada, my oasis in the city.

When you're eating things like this every day...

Sfogliatelle and fruit tarts (need to find out what those are called) at Pasticceria Strabbioni, just 2 blocks from my home = dangerous!

...it's definitely easy to get carried away so I've been keeping up with my morning runs when I can.  I have get out before 7 or 8 a.m. before it gets too hot but I'm so thankful I live close to some of the most lovely parks in Rome.  While I still enjoy my beloved Villa Borghese, I've found a new love, Villa Ada.  Take a look at the Italian Wikipedia page linked here and plug it into Google translator if you're interested in the history.

Villa Ada is the second largest public park in Rome after Villa Doria Pamphili and is about is located about 10 minutes from my apartment.  I get many odd looks as I run through bustling streets in the mornings.  I pass outdoor markets setting up for the day, numerous cafès filled with people sipping their morning caffè and and eating their cornetto (Italy's version of the croissant - my favorite is filled with chocolate or nutella), I pass the fancy shops found in Piazza Fiume, and navigate by the perfectly dressed women and men starting out their work day.  Ahh and their shoes!!  I think I've become like an Italian who stares unapologetically at every stranger they pass admiring their bella figura, and their belle scarpe (beautiful shoes).

After running through the heat and noise, entering Villa Ada is like stepping into another world within the city. There are countless winding paths and stairs (need to add pictures of those) leading through the hills.  It's great for a cool place to run while soaking in the nature of this park.

My favorite tree in the park.

What a place to take a rest!

Taken from Italian Wikipedia and translated: The flora is extremely diverse, and is predominantly of anthropogenic origin, the essence is the dominant pine species native to characterize in general the landscape of Rome. There are many indigenous species such as oaks, bay trees, olive trees, elms, maples, poplars, several specimens of Larix decidua pendula, and many varieties of oak, but also many non-native species, such as tropical trees and palms, to enter ornamental purposes. In the villa there are also large individual trees, positioned to be the focal points of the landscape. Inside the villa there is also a rare dawn redwood, a conifer water imported from Tibet in 1940. 

I'm only with my the camera on my phone when I pass through this Villa so I apologize for the quality of the pictures.  More can be seen here.  

As I exit the park, I'm usually hit with a wave of heat when I'm back on the street.  I stop by the nasoni I know of along the way and make my way back home.  Sometimes I'm pretty sure I see the same men in their impeccable suits still sitting at the cafè I passed by an hour before, enjoying a cigarette and chatting with their colleagues.  I makes me smile because while everyone seems to be rushing here and there on the streets of Rome, I still feel an underlying sense of taking your time and enjoying every moment and to me that's a great philosophy.