Marcia delle Ville (March of the Villas)

March of the villas 2023 – A walk in the countryside through the historic villas and farms of the Piana di Lucca

The non-competitive foot race, one of the most important at national level, is promoted by the Marciatori Marliesi foot race association with the contribution of the municipality of Capannori and the patronage of the province of Lucca and the Tuscany region. A walk in the countryside through the historic villas and farms of the area, which attracts thousands of runners every year.

176 runners took part in the first edition in 1977. In 1982, just five years later, there were more than 1,700 participants. The number of participants gradually increased to 4,000 at the end of the 1990s. The first editions of the new millennium brought between 4300 and 4600 participants. In 2007, what many have dubbed the “March of the Villas” phenomenon begins after another record attendance which culminates with the resounding success of April 25, 2015 with the presence of over 16,300 participants. A stratospheric result that projects “The March of the Villas” among the most popular marches nationwide. A new Record is achieved in the 42nd edition of 2018, thus reaching 20,000 admissions.

With more than 19,000 attendances, it broke all records for “non-competitive” in the region. The three cornerstones of this success are the landscape, the refreshment points and the logistics that make the March of the Villas a running event of national interest.