Bed and breakfast inns from the 1800s offer a step back from the frenzied modern world into a graceful, quiet time. In Napa, high-ceiling rooms, period furniture and thick Oriental carpets also give visitors a respite from traffic congestion on Highway 29 and the often confusing world of wine tasting.

Yet old world charm aside, the modern tourist has demands. Access to wireless Internet, faxes and their daily dose of exercise are just a few amenities visitors often expect. Many of the local bed and breakfast inns have complied, offering contemporary electronic conveniences to weary travelers.

Celeste Carducci has gone one step further at her McClelland-Priest bed and breakfast inn on Randolph Street. An avid runner and certified fitness trainer, Carducci outfitted her 1878 second empire Italianate bed and breakfast inn with a small gym and also offers spa services. "I love running, fitness and balance," said Carducci. "People are always asking me how I can run the bed and breakfast inn, have three children, teach fitness at both Napa Valley College and Healthquest as well as offering personal training. I tell them that muscle equals metabolism. I have a positive physical and mental attitude. For me, it comes naturally." She said that exercise boosts her stamina, and mental and physical balance enables her to keep up with her active family and inn guests.

The McClelland-Priest Inn has a sunny workout room overlooking a flower and herb garden off the kitchen. The gym is equipped with free weights, a multi-station weight resistance machine, spin bike and mats for floor work. "I've been teaching since 1982," said Carducci, who is certified by the American College of Sports Medicine, and is a member of the American Council on Exercise and the International Fitness Professionals Association.

"For our guests, we offer fitness program packages, including spin, yoga and Pilates classes, individually and for small groups. I also offer circuit and weight training along with power sculpting classes."

Like most successful innkeepers, when booking lodgers Carducci carefully notes their preferences about accommodations, wine tasting and dining, but also adds questions about their interest in exercise. "I often take them on morning runs, which can be seven, five or three miles, through vineyards or anywhere they'd like to see. If they are walkers, we have walking tour maps of historic Napa."

Interest in the exercise and spa packages has increased through the inn's Web site and by word-of-mouth. "I'm hearing more and more that people are attracted to my inn because of the spa and fitness element," Carducci said.

Professional massage therapists come to the inn and to give treatments such as massages and facials either in the guest's room or the inn's spa area.

Carducci's children assist with her inn keeping and fitness efforts. While her 20-year-old son is at college, her 11-year old daughter loves to meet and greet the guests. Her eldest daughter, 22-year-old Erica, is also a fitness fanatic and certified by the Aerobics Fitness Association of America. Erica helps conduct the inn's exercise program, specializing in Pilates and yoga instruction.

"I enjoy inn keeping, because there are so many facets," said Erica, a recent graduate of the University of California, San Diego. "I like the different kinds of people and the variety of the job. You can really connect with the visitors. When I was growing up here, I was proud to bring my friends to this beautiful house."

Indeed, the house is magnificent, with its soaring 14-foot plaster ceilings and restored wood floors. Carducci is only the third owner of the McClelland-Priest House, named after original owner mercantile store proprietor Joseph McClelland and Dr. Ethyl Priest, the first woman physician in the Napa school system. The enormous guest rooms are fitted with Victorian furnishing, fireplaces and whirlpool tubs. Carducci fixes healthy, gourmet, two-course breakfasts each morning.

Carducci is no stranger to the hotel and inn business, having grown up working at her family's hotel at the front desk and as a lifeguard. "We always had people all around," said Carducci. "This is more elegant and private."

Her professional background is in hotel, restaurant and travel management, including a stint as an embassy wine consultant in Washington, D.C. Marrying this with her additional experience managing fitness centers in Maryland and Orinda, she moved to Napa in 1987 and set about opening the McClelland-Priest House as a specialized bed and breakfast inn. "I knew if it was affordable, enjoyable and special, it would sell," she said.

After the travel slump of 2001, Carducci feels the hotel industry is on the rebound. "We have a resurgence of young people in their 20s and a lot of international visitors. A bed and breakfast attracts people who enjoy the historical significance of preserved homes, who like restored, classic ambiance. They want to come downstairs and meet one another and enjoy sharing conversations about their travels. Our daily wine reception time is very important to them."

Carducci invites wineries to participate in the evening event of tastings and informal wine etiquette pointers. She also holds a "Wine Pleasures Course" for guests interested in more specific information on wine and food pairings.

"Several vintners offer complimentary tastings at their wineries for our guests," she said. "We also sell wine cards for the downtown tasting rooms and many of our guests enjoy walking downtown after the wine reception for dinner and to sample additional wines."

The McClelland-Priest House belongs to the 16-member historic bed and breakfast inns of Napa and Carducci is active in the planning of a December tour of the inns. "A lot of the downtown organizations work together, whether it be the inns selling the wine tasting cards or promoting events at the Napa Valley Opera House and the Napa Mill, we all cooperate,"; she said. "There's also been communication growth with the Napa County Conference & Visitor's Bureau."

She's happy she left the corporate world of hotels and fitness centers to open her own bed and breakfast inn in Napa. "It's nice to be with my family and not commute," She said. "Having your own business is amazing, both good and bad. A bed and breakfast is more than a business, it's a lifestyle." For her guests, that lifestyle is healthy.