Travel Journal
women's basketball tours rome and vatican

The latest player reports from the women's basketball team on its trip to Italy. The final installment will be posted on Tuesday.

Thursday, August 20 – Alita Zabrecky, sophomore
The ride from Florence to Rome was a long one, but our Italian tour manager for the trip, Lorenna, made the time pass quicker with stories about what we were to see ahead of us in Rome. One of the most notable was the legend of how Rome was founded by Romulus and Remus – the two abandoned children of the gods who were raised and nurtured by “she-wolf.”

The hotel in Rome has a more historic and authentic look, a little different than our two previous modern hotels. After we unpacked our bags, everyone split up to find lunch in the local neighborhood. I went with the other “orphans” (players here without parents traveling on the trip) and we found a nice place with air conditioning. The food was the most “American” that we have had so far - but still quite delicious. We also had a gelato on the way back to the hotel.

Since our hotel is in within walking distance of many of the most popular tourist spots in Rome, we met up with the rest of the group and embarked on a walking tour of the center of Rome. The tour was led by Lorenna and Coach Rohn. I must say, that when it comes to knowing little facts, Coach gave the tour guide a run for her money.

The first stop was Piazza Navona – a very elegant square complete with a church, beautiful fountains and cafes. After snapping some pictures, we were off to The Pantheon.

Upon entering the 2000-year-old former temple to the Roman gods, everyone was in awe of the structure and architecture. We were amazed that a building and dome of this size and with this much detail could be build just after the birth of Christ. After even more picture taking, it was time to start walking towards Trevi Fountain.

Once we were within a block of Trevi Fountain, we could hear the the sound of a waterfall, and upon entering the square that contains the fountain, the sound of the water was about all we could hear. We snapped even more pictures around the fountain (what a surprise for this group) and then walked down to the water’s edge to toss in some coins.

The legend is that if you throw one coin in the fountain you will return to Rome, two coins you will meet a man, and three coins you will meet and marry and Italian man. Most of our group threw in one or two coins – Katy Rossino threw in three coins and hasn’t been seen since. So Muhlenberg fans, start planning for the wedding in Italy.

While Trevi Fountain was the last stop on the walking tour, some of us still had not done enough. So on the way back to the hotel, I went with a group that made a side trip to the famous “Spanish Steps.” It was amazing to see the view from the top of them, and to then walk down them to the Piazza Espana. Of course we stopped and took pictures all the way down – big surprise. At the bottom of the steps was a beautiful fountain shaped like a half sunken boat. Coach Rohn told us that the reason for this is that there had a been flood in the 15th century that washed a boat up to that very spot, which inspired the artist Pietro Bernini to create the fountain like it in the square.

A quick and refreshing shower at the hotel prepared us for a group dinner at a local restaurant. The food in Italy has been wonderful, and tonight’s dinner of pasta, roasted turkey and fruit was no exception. Still with some energy in our legs, we split into smaller groups and explored Rome for a few hours after dark. But with a busy day at the Vatican tomorrow and a game in the evening, it was not a very late night out – but still enjoyable and filled with memories.

Friday, August 21 – Alexandra Berlin, senior
Today our team went to the Vatican, which was an unbelievable experience for all of us. Even though we had to wait in line for a while to enter, it was worth it. We had a great tour guide who was very informative, and her sense of humor made tour even more enjoyable.

Vatican City is like being in a completely different world. After touring through many of the Vatican museums, we entered the Sistine Chapel. In additon to being extremely beautiful, it is crazy to think of Michelangelo painting it in only four years. The only downside was the security guards in the Sistine Chapel yelling “no foto” and “shooshing” everyone constantly.

We took many pictures in St. Peter’s Basilica, which is overwhelming in its size and grandeur, and more again in St. Peter’s Square. Many in our group bought postcards and mailed them at the Vatican Gift Shop so the would have the Vatican City postmark.

We arrived back at our hotel and headed for lunch in the early afternoon – with everyone ordering different pastas and pizzas and topping off the meal with more gelato. The two constants on our trip have been taking pictures and eating gelato a few times each day. Gelato is Italian ice cream, but much creamier in texture and having many times more flavor than ice cream back home.

We were all in desperate need of a nap before our 6:00 departure for our game. We played the same team we played in Florence, but they had added a few players for this game. Between the added talent on their team, and our exhausted bodies, it was a much tougher contest than a few nights ago. Still we were able to pull out a win with some tough defense and rebounding. Then we joined the Italian team in a group photo as a souvenir of our games in Italy.

{Coach Rohn’s game report: We faced the same team as in Florence, but with two quick guards added and one more big post player. It was easy to see right from the start that tired legs from all the walking and touring this past week were going to be a problem. We had trouble making shots, though we played a better overall game than in Florence.

We led 22-20 at halftime, but saw the Italian team run out to an early second-half lead, 28-24. With the Italian team leading 33-31 with nine minutes remaining in the game, Muhlenberg’s defense and rebounding ignited the decisive run. Consecutive steals by Alita Zabrecky, Alexandra Berlin and Kelly McKeon led to fast-break layups and a 37-33 lead for the Mules. Then two three-pointers sandwiched around a basket by the Italian team made it 43-35 Muhlenberg, with two free throws by McKeon and Julie Kelly putting the game out of reach.

Zabrecky led all scorers with 13 points, nine in the first half. Alexandra Chili finished with 12 and McKeon with nine. Zabrecky posted a double-double with 10 rebounds and also had four steals.}

After a much-needed shower (the Italian gyms are not air conditioned) we all went up to the rooftop restaurant of our hotel for a late-night snack. Tomorrow is our last full day in Italy, and even though we have had a great time, most of us are looking forward to getting home to our own beds and some American-style food.

Ciao ==

Pictured top to bottom: The Mules at the Spanish Steps, at dinner, at St. Peter's Square and with their basketball opponents.