Eleonora Frescobaldi and the magic of Corri La Vita

Our interview with the association's president

It’s one of the most eagerly-awaited events of the year among the numerous Florentines who invade the city’s streets, from Parco delle Cascine to the extraordinary finish line at Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria, as they take part in Corri La Vita.

40,000 people of all ages don coloured t-shirts - this year’s are dark green - to run in the world’s most beautiful non-competitive race.

Eleonora Frescobaldi was one of its founders, along with Bona Frescobaldi, their sole intention to raise funds and contribute to the fight against breast cancer.

You’ve been the president of Corri la Vita since 2022. What does the role mean to you?

I saw the event being born, and I’ve been part of it ever since, it’s just that my role has changed. 22 years ago I had four friends suffering from breast cancer; three of them made it, the other didn’t.

That was Allegra Corsini. And that was when Bona called me and said “Shall we do something wonderful for Florence and for women with cancer?” And I said “Yes”.

How did the idea of a sports event come about?

It came from the desire to do something dynamic and life-enhancing; because, fortunately, it’s possible to recover from breast cancer.

Corri al Vita is the first Italian event to combine culture, sport and charity…

It’s all thanks to the beauty of our city, which is a genuine open-air museum where we can see incredible places, many of which are open specially for the event.

We get whole families taking part, and a number of usually unseen gardens, houses and palaces are open.

What’s the secret of Corri la Vita’s success?

It’s a charity event that’s open to everyone, rather than just a few. For a small registration fee you get a Ferragamo t-shirt and for one day – from dawn to dusk – Florence is all yours, with free entry to numerous museums and cultural sites. The course is within everyone’s abilities. There’s a 12-kilometre route for runners and a 6-kilometre one for those who prefer to walk; every year we create a series of cultural stops in the ‘hidden’ city. There are always queues.

Ever-growing success…

Indeed. Last year’s edition, with 38,000 participants, was the biggest yet in terms of fund-raising. We’ve raised a total of 9 million euros in 21 editions, and the money always goes into the prevention of breast cancer.

With the funds raised, as well as buying state-of-the-art equipment and machinery, we’re funding numerous bursaries and the SenoNetwork, a national association of 163 high-quality centres that offer the same excellent facilities for analysis and care, and constantly share information and updates. Once again this year we have the ‘Health Village’. There’s a van offering free mammograms installed in Piazza della Repubblica two days before the race; there’s also a nutrition advice desk and a gym with instructors and trainers. Because it’s not only running or recovering that’s important, we also need a more healthy lifestyle.

Plenty of famous people follow Corri la Vita.

Over the years we’ve had so many celebrities helping us to promote it; this year it’s Simona Ventura, our ‘patroness’.

What’s the most exciting moment of the day, from the organisers’ point of view?

The departure from Cascine Park! Seeing 40,000 people all start moving at the same time is one of the most thrilling experiences I’ve ever had.

An anecdote?

In 2003, the first year of Corri la Vita, Bona and I arrived in Piazza Santa Croce, which was the starting point for the early editions, and the stage set-up was so pathetic and bare that it would have been beaten by any village fete. We looked at each other in the half-empty square and asked “Will anyone turn up…?!”.

A few minutes later the square was completely full, there were more than 2,000 people. For us that was like a miracle…

What’s Eleonora Frescobaldi’s favourite itinerary in Florence?

It’s basically the same as this year’s itinerary for Corri la Vita. It starts at Cascine Park and finishes at the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria. It’s a route I take often and it always amazes me: from Cascine I take the cycleway and walk into the historic centre.

The best bit is when you get close to the Uffizi, near the Rowing Club, and that’s when you start seeing the reflections of houses and palaces in the calm waters of the Arno. The colours are like a kaleidoscope. Walk it at sunset on a sunny day… it’s an unbeatable experience.