Running Through Italy
I had the great fortune to take a couple weeks off and tour through Italy with some friends and family.
So if you’re the UltraLife guy and you’re in Italy…what should you do? Well, Run Through Italy, of course!
We had 17 days to explore many cities and towns in Italy. I didn’t have a chance to run every day so I picked 4 key locations to run and make a short video of the experience; the sights and sounds of each location.
As you can see from the video’s we began our journey in Venice. Even with all the canals I was able to find enough solid ground to get in a nice run.
I used my new iPhone 4 to shoot the video, then used the iPhone iMovie application to edit the video and uploaded to YouTube directly from the phone. This is really phenomenal and I think you will agree the video quality isn’t bad either.
After a few days I left my bulky Canon HD camcorder in the suitcase and used the iPhone for video and photos exclusively.
Our tour continued to Milan, Lake Como, then Forence where I did my run through Florence…..
I didn’t run in Lake Como, but it is so beautiful it was one of the highlights of the trip so I wanted to include the video I shot during our day trip to the lake. I really wish we would have known how great it is…I would have stayed for a few days.
Florence is the gateway to Tuscany and a big city with lots to see.
Everyday it was 90 degrees or hotter and we walked and walked all over the city. The days I didn’t run I’m sure I still burned plenty of calories. Those calories were certainly off set by all the pasta, pizza and wine however!
We walked so much that when I ran I felt like I had walker’s legs. You know that burning in your lower legs. When you walk a lot for several days then run, you find you are using different muscles…and it burns for the first few miles!
Tuscany is known for its rich landscapes and small hilltop villages. Siena is one of the larger towns. The old town is on the hill top and the newer town has spread through the valley below. We stayed in a wonderful old farm house just down the hill from the old town.
Siena was not as touristy as other towns. They have vegetable stands, a laundry mat and other things that told you people still actually live in this old town, which gives it more character.
As I kept shooting and editing video I learned more about the iPhone’s cameras. It has both front and back cameras. The front camera is great when I am shooting headshots of myself and the rear camera for scenery.
Unfortunately iMovie displays the front camera shots upside down. I guess Apple isn’t perfect after all. So beginning with the Florence video I started editing on my small notebook using Microsoft’s Movie Maker application. This is also a pretty basic editor and unfortunately my notebook (although it has a Celeron processor) choked on the HD video, so making fine tuned cuts was difficult. Thankfully I wasn’t using a net book with an Atom processor…it would have been impossible.
It has been almost exactly a year since I posted a video so it was fun to get back to making movies. It’s a fun hobby and hopefully….not too boring for the viewer.
The runs through Italy were a great experience. When you run through a new place you see and experience more than you would if you are just visiting the location for business or as a tourist. You go places you would not go otherwise and you see everything from a unique perspective.
I enjoyed my Run Through Italy……I hope you enjoy what I have tried to share.




















