DIARY OF A CELEBRITY PERSONAL TRAINER: Almafi Coast, Pompeii, and Rome

After being on tour with my client, I flew into Italy to meet some friends and indulge in some much needed R & R.

After flying into Naples, we rented a car and were off to drive down the Amalfi Coast to Positano. This was an absolutely splendid drive. However one HAD to be extremely conscious of the road. It’s probably the narrowest major road I have ever been on and the turns come at you very fast. Cars over take other cars, mopeds and even buses over take in the actual turns, it’s really freaky! Due to the nature of how the towns are built (right into the cliffs) parking is at a minimum, and as a result the cars are parked right on the side of the road (keep in mind how narrow the roads are and that there is no shoulder!). It makes for a very interesting and beautiful drive.

We arrived at the hotel in the dark, and the sound of the waves crashing into the cliffs really made us appreciate the Almafi Coast and the hotel we were staying at. As I stood on the balcony, it only made me anticipate what the view was going to be like in the morning.

Here is where I was.This would be the perfect spot to travel to on a honeymoon. I must look this location up to find out if it is listed under top 10 romantic places on earth!

http://www.ilsanpietro.it/

We ate dinner in the hotel restaurant and actually ordered pasta for the first time. It was amazing! Before our food arrived a wonderful slice of pizza came out as the appetizer, followed by an order of beef tartar, then pasta and dessert. Hello yummy!

After dinner, I headed back to my room with a full belly of delicious food. I opened the windows for the night to hear the crashing of the waves and the sound of the wind to help lull me to sleep.
I woke up to a rain storm and ran out on to the balcony, getting soaked to see the sight below....a MASSIVE drop from the cliff right down to the water!

I then proceeded to head to the gym and found I couldn’t manage cardio indoors because I wanted to check out the beautiful scenery. So I went for a run along the road admiring the coast line on my left and mountain-scape to my right.

I returned back to the hotel and enjoyed a breakfast of coffee, fruit and dolce pane (sweet bread) on the balcony. I am a new lover of coffee and plan on enjoying it every day while I’m here :)

We spent the afternoon in a town called Amalfi, and the evening in a town called Positano. We arrived at Amalfi with the skies totally open, and the rain coming down, so we ran into a trattoria for a small bite to eat. This meal turned into a 3 hour event enjoying pizza, salad, coffee, wine and of course a dessert.

When the rain let up, we walked around the town and then stopped in for gelato before heading to Positano. We walked around, saw a church, got right down to sea level, and had dinner around 9pm. I got pizza ...again. Lol. I think I’ve had my fill of pizza.

I got back to the hotel and spent a couple of hours in the bathroom. I went swimming in the bathtub and felt like a Roman aristocrat!

After a super yummy breakfast of café Americano, we packed up and started the journey to Pompeii. We spent a few hours in Pompeii roaming through the ruins and listening to an audio guide. It goes without saying how wonderful and awe inspiring the ruins and history are.

We finished the day at an Autogrill ( for those who know what an Autogrill is you will understand how wonderful this place is, for those who don’t, go to Italy and enjoy the autogrill). It’s a gourmet roadside café that serves wine, beer, coffee, grilled sandwiches, and desserts.Panini, wine, and Nutella chocolates made the cut. I picked up some chocolates for some friends (Tiramisu Lindt, and an interesting dark chocolate by Ferrero).

We then started on the 2 hour drive to Roma. The 2 hour drive turned into a 6 hour drive as the highway to Rome was blocked due to a strike. Well, it could definitely be worse, driving through the back roads of Italy in an Alpha Romeo wasn’t so bad :)

We stopped at a road side Autogrill again for dinner :) What a wonderful country! You can stop at the side of the highway for a fresh cooked meal and a delicious dessert. When you are done you are on the road again, continuing your journey.

Wow....the food is delicious here, and I am eating very well. It will be nice when I reach Tuscany and can cook some meals for myself to change it up a bit :)

Maggie D

xoxo