R.I. TRACK & FIELD FOUNDATION NOTE TO INTERESTED PARTIES
Occasionally over the summer, we will feature articles written by Liz Johnson-Mottola, a transplanted Rhode Islander now living in Rome. Johnson-Mottola, a Pawtucket native, went to La Salle Academy (Class of ’99), where she ran cross country and track. A graduate of Stonehill College, she moved to Italy six years ago, and has been at St. Stephen’s, an international prep school in Rome, where she teaches biology and chemistry.
Johnson-Mottola started running marathons while in college. She’s completed two Boston Marathons, as well as the Bay State run. Since moving to Italy, she’s run three Rome Marathons, as well as 26-milers in Florence, Venice, Treviso, and Vienna, Austria. She is a member of a racing/running team called G.S. Cat Sports, and is married to Mike Mottola, of Scituate, R.I. (Hendricken, Class of ‘98). Her first installment follows: I decided to venture out of Rhode Island and move to Italy, and a hilltop town called Asiago in the northern part of the country. Being a runner, I found Asiago to be a runners’ paradise. Car-free streets and almost no pollution, nor any traffic; plenty of soft trails and cool weather.
I had imagined that Rome would be somewhat similar. After only a few jogs around the Ancient City, I realized I was wrong. I was met with congested roads, full of tourists; smoggy, too. I navigated through heat waves, and over smoldering asphalt. Instead of soft trails, I discovered my hatred for cobblestones, and the pain they cause in one’s joints and feet.
But I learned quickly that if I was going to living here and enjoying la dolce vita, I needed to run like a Roman. Within a few weeks I found areas that were tourist-free and roads that were paved rather than cobbled. I strategically mapped out my runs to include as many fontanelle (outdoor bubblers) as possible, which helped me survive those final days of that summer. All of these improvements made running in Rome much more enjoyable, and a daily adventure.
