Italy is a Workout

I spent 2 weeks in Italy. I ate a ton of food. I drank a few tons of wine. And I lost weight! So did my friends. The tour we took was titled "Leisurely Rome and Tuscany", plus we added Sorrento and Venice to our itinerary. I need to check my Webster's because either the tour company or I have the wrong definition of 'leisurely'. We were constantly on the go. Not that I'm complaining--we saw everything! We estimate that we walked 40 - 50 miles over the 2 weeks we were there. Italy is hilly. That's why they have better skiers than golfers. And it's why most of our miles were up and down hills and steps. The climb to the top of St. Peter's Basilica was brutal, but the view was worth it. Plus, it was good for bragging rights in our tour group--no one else attempted it. The subway in Rome is way underground, lots of steps to get to the trains--although I admit we cheated and took a few of the escalators. In Sorrento, it was quicker to take the steps down to the port than to wait for the bus--even if I did whine about the climb back up to town. On the Isle of Capri, the signs for the Blue Grotto were probably meant for cars, not walkers. After what seemed like a marathon, we caved in and flagged down a bus for the last few miles. Even Venice, built over the water, has only arched bridges: up the steps, over the bridge, down the steps, bridge after bridge after bridge. Italy is a great stairclimber workout. And every second of it was awesome!