Getting into Shape for Italy

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January 13, 2011

Training for the long walks ahead.

There is a common phrase among Italians, “la bella figura,” which means that Italian women are beautiful and everyone else is not. More specifically, it describes a person with fashion and poise, to which most of the American tourists I’ve met are oblivious. Another Italian phrase, less known to tourists, is “mozzarella.” Much like a mozzarella ball, which is white and plump, the term is applied by locals to tourists who find themselves visiting someplace warm and therefore show too much of their pale, plump flesh. It’s quite an image, and unfortunately accurate. I feared that my lack of skin tone and non-athletic figure would make me a prime candidate for this stereotype.

Beyond that, one of the challenges I knew I would be facing was being on my feet for hours at a time, or more likely, all day long. Multiple Disneyland vacations have afforded me the experience walking anywhere from 8-12 miles and standing in lines for hours, cumulatively, all in one day. But these vacations were all less than a week in length, and at the end of four days my feet were dying. Literally, I considered that cutting them off might be more comfortable than enduring another day of the most extreme discomfort. Two lessons come from these moments: One, invest in good footwear; the second, to acclimate myself (and my poor feet) to the conditions of the vacation.

It was around Christmas, as I was eagerly gobbling up holiday treats, that I decided to train for long distance of walking. In doing this, I realized that it also doubled as a New Year’s resolution and could possibly assist in getting me into better shape. My goal was to walk every day, as long as the weather was not frightening. Conveniently, the trail behind my apartment stretches for about five miles, so all I had to do was get going.

I will grant you, it took me about a week to motivate myself to actually get up and go. But now, just after just a week of daily walks of about 2.5 miles, it’s already a part of my routine. With six months until I get on the plane, my intent is to be able to walk the entire five mile stretch comfortably (and in a reasonable amount of time). If I can do this, I think I can handle a hike up Mt. Vesuvius, long strolls across Venice, and climbs to the top of the Duomo.

More updates as I continue with this goal. Out with the mozzarella, in with la bella figura!


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Well, months later I reviewed my goal, and like most people, my New Year's resolution did not hold. I managed to walk enough to get my shoes broken in. But my rationale (out of defeat or laziness, I'm not sure) is that I'll walk for however long I'm comfortable while on vacation. If I'm tired, it just means it's time for a gelato.

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