Italian Stairmaster: With exercise like this, who needs a gym?

(Michelle May, M.D., author of Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat and Chef Owen May, owner of Chef with Benefits®, recently traveled throughout Italy to explore mindful eating and take culinary and wine courses. They are back on U.S. soil now, trying to sustain the relaxed yet engaged state of mind that travel brings. They are sharing these posts to inspire you to bring that same mindset to your kitchen and life. Buon Appetito!)

They (whoever “they” are) say Europeans walk everywhere. I don’t know if that’s really true (such generalizations usually aren’t), but Owen and I love to walk and hike when we travel. We know it’s great exercise, but that’s just a fringe benefit; we enjoy experiencing the scenery from a different vantage point. (Click photos to enlarge.)

Our first hike in Italy was the Cinque Terre, five quaint villages on the rugged coast of the Italian Riviera connected by beautiful trails. We got an early start from Monterosso, but since it was late June, it was already hot and humid. This first picture shows why I dubbed the trail an “Italian Stairmaster” – the first of many! At nearly two hours, this was the longest leg of our hike. We were rewarded with this amazing view of the second village, Vernazza.

After a lovely breakfast and cappucino in Vernazza, we hit the trail again to Corniglia (right). I loved the narrow streets lined with tiny shops; we had our first gelato in Italy here too!

The next leg of the trail was closed due to a mud slide so we caught the train to Manarola. (I purchased a water color that looks exactly like my picture on the left.)

The path along the water (not many stairs this time!) from Manarola to Riomaggiore is known as Via dell’Amore because it was once a lovers’ lane for the boys and girls to meet between the two towns. Now it’s sweetly decorated with ribbons, padlocks, and graffiti by couples professing their commitment to one another.

We had a late lunch overlooking the water in Riomaggiore. We enjoyed regional white wine and focaccia with buffalo mozzarella and pesto (pesto originated in this region of Italy). This simple meal was one of the best we had in Italy (and there were many!)

You know I don’t believe in exercising to “earn” the right to eat; this was simply the perfect ending to a perfect morning.

After six hours of hiking, a fabulous lunch, and a glass of wine, we’d had enough. We caught the ferry back to Monterosso so we could enjoy retracing our trail from the relaxing vantage point of the ferry deck.

Everywhere we went in Italy, there were natural opportunities for movement. I took a series of photographs I call “Italian Stairmasters and Treadmills.” Check them out on our Facebook page (please “Like” the page while you’re there)!