The Italian Job

Well, not much fitness going on so far in the traditional sense anyway. I found that in Bologna no one was really concerned with working out. Although, I did see a couple poster sized ads for the institute naturale. It seemed this place had yoga, meditation and some healthy workshops. That was really the only thing I found. Again, there was a lot of walking done by all. My general observation was that Bologna was a much fatter city. The most disappointing fact was that the there were at least three McDonalds in a 1.5 mile radius and they were always packed. I wish I could say it was only tourists, but this time, it seemed it was a little bit of everyone. I get that it is inexpensive but so is pasta! It really showed on the children of the area. They were all overweight and borderline obese. This inspired me to go to our hotel's "fitness center" and get a work-out in. Well, not much working out happened. I don't know why I thought when the hotel said they had a fitness center it was going to actually have fitness equipment. It turned out to only have an arm bike, which was good considering my foot. However, not much of a workout. The rest of the room consisted of a lounge chair because after the strenuous arm bike one must lay down. Then if you've really exhausted yourself, you can take a nice steam and/or shower. This fitness center had more spa amenities than fitness equipment. Ha, ha, ha...my mistake, what was I thinking? Why would anyone want to actually workout in the fitness center? :-0

The next area of Italy we visited was Cinque Terre. This is where I saw a lot of non-traditional exercising. All the locals were carrying something up and down stairs all day. They were out fishing or rowing boats. None of the locals seemed to be overweight. Cinque Terre fit all my expectations of Italy. All the locals were working hard and constantly cleaning. The only time they stopped was 1-5pm everyday for their siesta. This is a well deserved rest! Then they wake up and continue until 10-11pm. It starts all over again the next day. Even with all this hard work no one seems to complain. They are always saying ciao to one another and seem to be in a cheerful mood. Cinque Terre encompasses a particular lifestyle one that would be an adjustment for me but seems to be the only place the locals could imagine living.

Next, I will be observing Rome. I am hoping to find a yoga studio or gym to explore.

To be continued…