Travel Journal
women's basketball wraps up trip

The final two reports from the Muhlenberg women's basketball team's trip to Italy:

Sunday, August 22 – Kimberly Mui, junior
Today was our last full day in Italy. We had an early breakfast and then took our tour bus over to the Coliseum and Roman Forum. After dressing to cover all shoulders and knees yesterday (a requirement to enter most churches in Italy), today we could dress lightly, a good thing since it was supposed to be the hottest day of our tour. There was not a cloud in the sky, and the sun in Rome is very hot.

Our tour guide met us at the Coliseum, and even from the outside we were amazed by the size and beauty. Those feelings intensified as we entered the structure – to think that it could hold over 75,000 people was astonishing for an arena built around 70 A.D. We all wondered how the Romans could build a stadium of that size in just eight years.

Unfortunately parts of the Coliseum were taken to build other projects throughout the city (like the marble we saw at the Vatican the day before), and a few walls had collapsed due to earthquakes centuries ago. Still, it was an impressive sight. In the upper levels there were displays showing the many types of armor worn by the gladiators.

After about 90 minutes of exploring the Coliseum (and of course taking pictures), our tour continued in the Roman Forum. The excavated Forum is the actual streets and buildings of Ancient Rome. Most of modern Rome was build on top of the old city, so you have to climb down into the excavated sites (sometimes as much as 30 feet).

It was amazing to see the remains of buildings that have been there for over 2,000 years, and to imagine what it must have been like to walk through those very streets during the days of the Roman Empire. The tour finished about 1 p.m., and we had the rest of the day free.

Since it was our last day in Italy, we tried to complete all unfinished shopping for gifts and souvenirs. Our team then split up for lunch, and six of us went to a café that served us the best pizza of the trip. We tried to finish up our shopping after lunch but the Roman tradition is for stores to close for the afternoon, so not much was open. Most of the team decided to act like the Romans and go back to the hotel for an afternoon nap. When in Rome …

Most players ate their last dinner in Rome with their families, so the “orphans” on the trip went out together for dinner as well. Cafés and trattorias near the Spanish Steps and Trevi Fountain were the most popular. Our team arranged to all meet at the Spanish Steps at 9:00 p.m. (the Metro in Rome is easy to use and cheap) to hang out one last evening on our trip. After walking around the “Piazza Espagna” and eating our final gelato together, those too tired to continue went back to the hotel. The rest of us went to Trevi Fountain to see it at night before heading home. Our wakeup call on Monday morning is 5:30 am, and there is a bittersweet feeling about leaving Italy and going home.

-- Ciao

Monday August 23 – Alexandra Chili, junior
Our final day in Italy was to be short but sweet. After a brutal 5:30 a.m. wakeup call and 6:15 departure, our team and entourage left our beautiful hotel for the final time. We drove through the city streets to the Leonardo DaVinci Airport, on our way home.

After checking our bags, I grabbed one last magical croissant and cappuccino (and tried to convince myself that they would be just as good back at Muhlenberg) and prepared for our nine-hour flight home.

Since I tried to sleep most of the flight, I can’t fill in too many of the details around me. However, I do remember thinking that my dad and Kathleen Naddaff’s dad, both bigger than life men standing over 6 feet 10 inches tall, do not fit well into the little Italian seats.

The goodbyes at the baggage carousel were heartfelt, because the whole team, our parents, and our entire group in general had become much closer after all of our Italian adventures.

It’s safe to say that everyone had a fantastic trip and will sorely miss Italy. But we do have even better things to look forward to … toilet seats and basketball season!!!!

PS: On behalf of the team, we would like to thank Coach Rohn, the ever-great Lorena (our Italian tour manager for the week) and Max (the best bus driver in Italy), all of our parents, assistant coaches, our faculty liaisons Bill and Penny Dunham, alums David and Lois Nowack, and everyone who helped make this trip become a reality. It was a wonderful and worthwhile experience.

Grazie per tutti, and arrivederci – ciao bella!

Pictured from top: The Mules at the Coliseum and in the Roman Forum at the spot where Julius Caesar was cremated.