Each day of the trip was eventful and full of its own adventures yet I think most would agree that Saturday was one of the highlights. We woke up early on Saturday to a typical Italian breakfast of slices of ham and cheese that we became accustomed to over the week and prepared for a journey to Florence. Once we arrived in Florence we went on a tour of the many gorgeous churches as well as to see the Medici Palace and the replica of David as well as several other statues representing Greek Mythology. After our 1-hour tour several of us were guided by Antonella to the Ponte Vecchio, a medieval bridge with several shops, mostly jewelry stores, built on the bridge. Afterward, we split up and had some free time for more shopping, eats at local cafes as well as the opportunity to explore the beautiful churches and architecture in Florence. I think most of us would have liked a few more hours in Florence but we had to allow time for traffic later in the day so it was cut short. But I think the taste that Florence left was strong enough for many of us to want to make a return someday.
We then headed off to La Spezia, a beautiful little town built on a harbor, where we would await a boat, provided by our opponent later that night. The boat took us to the breathtaking island of Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a little town that is basically built into a mountain. The steepness of the houses built in the mountain is unreal. The island has several little tunnels and pathways where you can navigate the city. The highlight of the Cinque Terre was the chance to explore Via dell'Amore, known as Lover's Pathway. It's basically a concrete pathway that overlooks the sea with an amazing view. Along the pathway you will find hundreds of locks that couples from all over have placed and thrown the key into the sea to represent their unbreakable bond. We also had a stop at a local restaurant along the pathway where we were served heart-shaped pasta that was delicious!
Running slightly behind on time we had to hurry along to catch the bus to our third and final game vs. Calcio La Spezia. Once we arrived we only had time for a 10 minute warm-up so we were all feeling a little rushed and anxious. The first half was a little bumpy -- figuratively and literally. The field conditions made it extremely difficult to control the ball and without a warm-up we had trouble getting into sync in the first half, allowing them a goal that bounced through the defense.
After we had time to talk it out at halftime and had the chance to get rid of the anxiety of feeling a little rushed -- we calmed down a lot and we're able to put more passes together. We found ourselves on the winning end of a 3-1 victory, making us undefeated in international play.
The next morning we would rise early and head to Rome! Overlooking the itinerary before the trip I was excited and overwhelmed by the many experiences we would have and the cities we'd visit but I anticipated the trip to Rome the most. It took us about 4 hours to reach The Eternal City and we arrived at 3pm. We had a few hours to unpack and unwind before our walking tour at 5.30pm. We boarded a bus and reached the Colosseum where we'd begin our hour and 15 min. tour of the city and its amazing history. We explored the many sites including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Constantin Arch, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and of course all stopped for a quick Gelato break on the way. We headed back to the hotel for dinner and time to recuperate before our final full day in Rome.
On Monday we had free time in the morning to do as we please so our group took the Metro back to the city to do some shopping in the morning and then we headed to the Vatican city. Luckily we had a reservation as we passed a line of hundreds of people of about 30,000 that would visit Rome that day where we would spent half our day waiting in line without a reservation. We had a 3-hour tour of the Vatican Museum where we passed through the halls of the Vatican City filled with tapestries, statues, paintings, and all kinds of beautiful art that spoke volumes of the history and importance of the city. We proceeded to the Sistine Chapel, where we weren’t allowed to take pictures, yet even if we were allowed, it wouldn’t do justice to the level of beauty that stood within that room. We had the chance to explore St. Peter's Basilica (where the tour guide said could hold up to 2+ soccer fields). Its beauty was immeasurable and not able to be captured in words or pictures either. It's definitely something you have to visit and see with your own eyes to understand the magnitude of the aesthetic quality. We headed out to St. Peter's Square where the tour guide gave us a rundown of the rituals and history behind the square where we stood. Afterwards, many of us went to a shop to buy Vatican souvenirs and then we had the rest of the afternoon to explore Rome. We headed back to the hotel that night and had a wrap-up celebration of the trip, laughing at all the memories and highlighting the best moments. We also spent some time expressing gratitude to our tour guides who helped us each day get the most out of our trip.
All in all the entire trip has been an eye opening experience for all of us. It's expanded our horizons and knowledge of the culture of Italy and made us appreciate their delicious pizza, pasta and gelato, the immense history and stories that lie behind the landmarks that are still standing as well as the amazing architecture and rich beauty of all of its cities and regions. At the same time this trip has humored us with what we take for granted in the States such as ice in our drinks, being able to communicate with everyone in English, free ketchup packets, cars yielding to pedestrians, free toilets that rise from the ground and so much more. On a more serious note, I think all of us were always in awe and enjoyed every second of this once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it was extremely draining and exhausting at times. It was all worth it. For many years to come we’ll look back at our college days and see this experience as a major chapter in our lives where we learned a lot, laughed a lot and enjoyed the company of our fellow teammates, coaches, teachers and parents.
We then headed off to La Spezia, a beautiful little town built on a harbor, where we would await a boat, provided by our opponent later that night. The boat took us to the breathtaking island of Cinque Terre. Cinque Terre is a little town that is basically built into a mountain. The steepness of the houses built in the mountain is unreal. The island has several little tunnels and pathways where you can navigate the city. The highlight of the Cinque Terre was the chance to explore Via dell'Amore, known as Lover's Pathway. It's basically a concrete pathway that overlooks the sea with an amazing view. Along the pathway you will find hundreds of locks that couples from all over have placed and thrown the key into the sea to represent their unbreakable bond. We also had a stop at a local restaurant along the pathway where we were served heart-shaped pasta that was delicious!
Running slightly behind on time we had to hurry along to catch the bus to our third and final game vs. Calcio La Spezia. Once we arrived we only had time for a 10 minute warm-up so we were all feeling a little rushed and anxious. The first half was a little bumpy -- figuratively and literally. The field conditions made it extremely difficult to control the ball and without a warm-up we had trouble getting into sync in the first half, allowing them a goal that bounced through the defense.
After we had time to talk it out at halftime and had the chance to get rid of the anxiety of feeling a little rushed -- we calmed down a lot and we're able to put more passes together. We found ourselves on the winning end of a 3-1 victory, making us undefeated in international play.
The next morning we would rise early and head to Rome! Overlooking the itinerary before the trip I was excited and overwhelmed by the many experiences we would have and the cities we'd visit but I anticipated the trip to Rome the most. It took us about 4 hours to reach The Eternal City and we arrived at 3pm. We had a few hours to unpack and unwind before our walking tour at 5.30pm. We boarded a bus and reached the Colosseum where we'd begin our hour and 15 min. tour of the city and its amazing history. We explored the many sites including the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, Constantin Arch, the Spanish Steps, Trevi Fountain, the Pantheon and of course all stopped for a quick Gelato break on the way. We headed back to the hotel for dinner and time to recuperate before our final full day in Rome.
On Monday we had free time in the morning to do as we please so our group took the Metro back to the city to do some shopping in the morning and then we headed to the Vatican city. Luckily we had a reservation as we passed a line of hundreds of people of about 30,000 that would visit Rome that day where we would spent half our day waiting in line without a reservation. We had a 3-hour tour of the Vatican Museum where we passed through the halls of the Vatican City filled with tapestries, statues, paintings, and all kinds of beautiful art that spoke volumes of the history and importance of the city. We proceeded to the Sistine Chapel, where we weren’t allowed to take pictures, yet even if we were allowed, it wouldn’t do justice to the level of beauty that stood within that room. We had the chance to explore St. Peter's Basilica (where the tour guide said could hold up to 2+ soccer fields). Its beauty was immeasurable and not able to be captured in words or pictures either. It's definitely something you have to visit and see with your own eyes to understand the magnitude of the aesthetic quality. We headed out to St. Peter's Square where the tour guide gave us a rundown of the rituals and history behind the square where we stood. Afterwards, many of us went to a shop to buy Vatican souvenirs and then we had the rest of the afternoon to explore Rome. We headed back to the hotel that night and had a wrap-up celebration of the trip, laughing at all the memories and highlighting the best moments. We also spent some time expressing gratitude to our tour guides who helped us each day get the most out of our trip.
All in all the entire trip has been an eye opening experience for all of us. It's expanded our horizons and knowledge of the culture of Italy and made us appreciate their delicious pizza, pasta and gelato, the immense history and stories that lie behind the landmarks that are still standing as well as the amazing architecture and rich beauty of all of its cities and regions. At the same time this trip has humored us with what we take for granted in the States such as ice in our drinks, being able to communicate with everyone in English, free ketchup packets, cars yielding to pedestrians, free toilets that rise from the ground and so much more. On a more serious note, I think all of us were always in awe and enjoyed every second of this once in a lifetime opportunity, even if it was extremely draining and exhausting at times. It was all worth it. For many years to come we’ll look back at our college days and see this experience as a major chapter in our lives where we learned a lot, laughed a lot and enjoyed the company of our fellow teammates, coaches, teachers and parents.
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