Starting in the small town of Lucca in the Tuscany region, we make our way to lovely town of Ferrara in the Emilia-Romagna region, where the 12.5 km GIRO DELLE MURA event is held. The Organisers are incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about running and truly love their event, now in its 54th year. Along the way we travel through the heart of regional Italian food. This Tour is what Eat and Run is all about

3 Unique Towns (Lucca - Pavullo Nel Frignano - Ferrara) | 2 Regions (Tuscany - Emilia Romagna) | 9 Days, 8 Nights accommodation | group training | all transfers | ALL meals every day | Guaranteed Event Entry

Day 1 - Wednesday, 24 April - LUCCA

Arriving either at Pisa International Airport or Lucca train station, you will be met and taken to your apartment within the ancient city walls. This evening, we'll head out for a light 8km jog around the city of Lucca before we meet for dinner at a lovely modern restaurant

Day 2 - Thursday, 25 April - LUCCA

8am:  8-12km jog around city walls before breakfast. We'll have a free morning in the centre of Lucca where you are encouraged to climb a tower or book a Puccini recital

Lunch will be at the local pizzeria followed by a free afternoon within the ancient city walls, or you may want an afternoon siesta

6pm: We’ll meet for a light 4-8km jog around city walls

For Dinner tonight, we’ll travel to the nearby town of Calci for an amazing setting in a local Agriturismo

Day 3 - Friday, 26 April - LUCCA-PISA-LUCCA

8am:  We take the short drive to Pisa for our Long Run (anywhere between 12 - 21 km). We’ll stay in Pisa for Breakfast in a delightful cafeteria

Returning to Pisa for Lunch we are at a typical sandwich bar in Pisa, followed by a stop a local gelateria on the way home

6pm:  4-8km walk/jog (your choice)

Dinner: We travel just outside of Lucca to a classical Italian restaurant serving classical Italian dishes

Day 4 - Saturday, 27 April - LUCCA-PAVULLO NEL FRIGNANO

8am:  LUCCA ParkRun. In total, we will cover at least 16 km with a short part of this along the Puccini bikeway trail in our warm-down. We then leave Lucca and head to the town of Pavullo Nel Frignano, a culinary and running delight

Lunch will be a short drive out of the town of Pavullo and it won’t disappoint. We’ll have an afternoon walk around town (or a siesta)

5pm: 4-8km jog or walk around the local airfield

Dinner: Just outside of town, we'll head to an amazing castle for an amazing dinner. This will be the culinary highlight of our Tour

Day 5 - Sunday, 28 April - PAVULLO NEL FRIGNANO

8am:  This morning, we’ll do a tempo run over 8-10km, or Interval session (something like: 2x4 min, 2x3min, 3x2min, 4x1min) - the last session ahead of Wednesday's event

Lunch at another nearby food venue in this region, made famous by Reggiano Parmigiano and prosciutto

6pm: 4-8km light walk or jog around the local airfield

Dinner: low-key tonight, we head to a delightful pizzeria where the pizzaiolo from Naples loves his craft and serving the best pizzas in town. We dine with locals on pizzas, pastas and local wine

Day 6 - Monday, 29 April - PAVULLO NEL FRIGNANO-FERRARA

8am:  8-12km jog to trails just outside of town. After breakfast, we farewell Pavullo Nel Frignano and travel on to Ferrara, the town of our event

Lunch: typical Ferrarese lunch

6pm: 4-8km walk or jog around Ferrara

Dinner will be at a local restaurant in Ferrara

Day 7 - Tuesday, 30 April - FERRARA

8am:  8km jog (reconnissance) on the course. We then visit the local markets

Lunch: Typical Ferrarese lunch

6pm: 4-8km walk around Ferrara

Dinner will be at a local restaurant in Ferrara

Day 8 - Wednesday, 1 May - FERRARA - Event Day - Giro Delle Mura 12.5km

Event Day: Giro Delle Mura. After a light breakfast, we head to the start of this event before the run heads out onto the roads of Ferrara and onto the ancient city walls (Le Mura)

Lunch at an Agriturismo, serving all local specialties

Dinner we head to a local restaurant in the city of Ferrara before we move on to a lovely bar in the main square for farewell drinks

Day 9 - Thursday, 2 May - FERRARA - LUCCA

After an early morning recovery jog and Breakfast, we depart Ferrara for Lucca. Your drop-off options today are: Ferrara Train Station, PISA International Airport or Lucca train station