When Italy-bound guests ask for the location of the nearest gym we are happy to provide this information. Before you invest $25 to $40 USD/day to walk a treadmill in a cramped basement-level fitness studio, keep in mind that you'll be walking the better part of each day. You can supplement this with an invigorating walk or jog to explore off-the-beaten path locations. Think of the streets as your treadmill, your luggage as your weights. When we travel to Italy, despite food and wine indulgences, we always come home lighter then when we left! Why? We walk everywhere, usually at a fast pace. On a recent trip I wore a pedometer to gauge daily steps and managed to walk 8 to 10 miles a day without even trying.

We recommend early mornings for brisk walks, before the streets become congested, for the pleasure of quiet streets, great views and famous monuments all to yourself. In Rome run up and down the Spanish steps a few times or take a jog through the Borghese Gardens. The steps of the Campidoglio, behind the Victor Emanuel monument, provide another good opportunity for stair climbing. In Florence rise early and walk or run up to Piazzale Michelangelo or Forte di Belvedere for stunning city views. Within a few hours Piazzale Michelangelo will be crowded with tour buses and trinket vendors but you'll have the gorgeous views almost to yourself before 8 am. In the countryside there are many opportunities for long walks. 

To supplement the vast amount of walking you'll do each day bring along a Theraband elastic exercise band for resistance exercises.

While the idea, in theory, of running up and down the stairs in your vacation apartment building for extra exercise sounds good it is considered brutta figura, bad form, and a breach of apartment-living courtesy.

If you decide to try out a local gym, you'll get to see how Italian women manage to look glamorous even in their sweats, set off by the perfect tan and accessorized with tasteful gold jewelry. Here are some gym recommendations for Rome and Florence.

•Roman Sport Center near the Spanish Steps, under the Villa Borghese

•Florence Gyrotonics Il Vortice on Via Lambertesca or Fonblieu' Day Spa in Piazzale Porta Romana

Patty & Lisa Byrne