Maybe you’re not the type of traveler who rises before 7am while on vacation in order to get a run in. Maybe, in fact, you’re the type of traveler who regards such behavior with bafflement or disdain.
A new running tour in Rome, though, might persuade you to join the ranks of the go-getters, especially if you’re an animal lover.
The Cats of Rome Running Tour from ArcheoRunning follows a 6km (3.7-mile) route through ancient sites in the Italian capital that have a feline connection whether past or present. That includes Egyptian temples left over by a culture that revered cats as sacred, as well as current feline colonies amid Roman ruins, where cats lie around as if revering themselves as far too sacred to get up and run around at the crack of dawn like an imbecile.
The tour is led in English by licensed guide and art historian Isabella Calidonna. Her mission, according to the tour’s online description, is “to make the city known from a completely new point of view through gentle movement.”
Intended for runners and cat fanciers of all skill levels, this is not a strenuous race by any means.
Route of the Cats of Rome Running Tour
The route begins near the Pantheon, on the site where a temple to the Egyptian deities Isis and Serapis once stood. That gives Calidonna an opportunity to explain the history of Egyptian worship in Rome, and the high regard Ancient Egyptians had for cats.
Runners then thread their way through narrow streets to reach the Area Sacra di Largo Argentina, the sunken square of now-ruined temples where Julius Caesar was assassinated in 44 B.C., and where, more important, a cat sanctuary later took up residence and remains at the location to this day.
Next, the running crew climbs the Capitoline Hill before reaching the Colosseum, where, as the ArcheoRunning site picturesquely puts it, “early light turns the amphitheater gold and cats still roam the nearby ruins like ancient sentinels.”
A final stretch along the Tiber river brings you to the Pyramid of Caius Cestius and one last chance to gaze upon felines lolling in the shade of nearby trees.
The Cats of Rome Running Tour starts at 7am or, during the summer, can get going at 6am or 6:30am. The cost is €50 (about $58) per person, provided there are at least five people in your party. For parties of four, the tour is €60 ($70) per person; for groups of three, €70 ($81) per person; for two, €80 ($93) per person; and if you go solo, you’ll pay €110 ($127).
For more information or to book a tour, go to ArcheoRunning.com.
Frommer’s Rome, Florence & Venice 2026
There is no better introduction to Italy than the classic itinerary of Rome, Florence and Venice. But it is not dummy-proof, which is why we enlisted three of Italy’s most knowledgeable experts—Elizabeth Heath, Donald Strachan and Stephen Keeling—to pen this guide. Their helpful advice, and honest, …
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Frommer’s Rome, Florence & Venice 2026
There is no better introduction to Italy than the classic itinerary of Rome, Florence and Venice. But it is not dummy-proof, which is why we enlisted three of Italy’s most knowledgeable experts—Elizabeth Heath, Donald Strachan and Stephen Keeling—to pen this guide. Their helpful advice, and honest, …
