ITALY - The “Eagles in Italy” Tour has come to an end for American University men's basketball, with AU having visited three Italian cities over nine days in August. All the recaps, photos and more can be found here on the daily trip blog.

DAY 1 - Dulles International Airport, Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport, and Naples

The trip began with a 6:00 p.m. arrival to Dulles Airport in Virginia, for a 9:05 p.m. flight to Paris that left one hour late. The delay for the seven and a half hour flight was no problem, as we still had nearly three hours to kill once in Paris. After much coffee and waiting, we got on our second flight that took just over two hours. It was a beautiful day in Napoli upon landing, and we were greeted by our Global Sports and Events tour guides in the airport lobby. Despite our internal clocks still being somewhere prior to noon, it was nearly dinnertime. 

We took our tour bus 20 minutes to the hotel, very quickly settled in our rooms and then walked two blocks to a private dinner at Medina Trattoria. The service was outstanding and the food kept coming. We dined on three different types of Neapolitan pizza, appetizers that included fried pizza and bruschetta, and had tiramisu for dessert. Birthdays were celebrated for Chris Gleaton and Noah Jones. Happy Birthday!

After dinner, everyone walked it off with many thousands of steps through the city and down to the Tyrrhenian Sea. It was a warm, gorgeous evening to work off the jet lag and make sure we're all prepared for our first full day in Italy!

DAY 2 - Guided boat tour from Sorrento with stops in Positano and Amalfi

After a delicious buffet breakfast at the hotel in Naples, the entire travel party got on the bus to head south to Sorrento. Once there, we boarded a two-level tour boat that served as our home base for most of the day. Our guide, Francesco, narrated the trip as we took the boat down the coast and passed multiple beautiful villages built into the mountainside. We learned about the history of the area, saw many acres of terraces with lemon trees, viewed gorgeous colors of sea water and spent time in two towns along the coast. In Positano we were free to walk around for a couple of hours, shopping and eating or checking out the public beach. We had a shorter stop in Amalfi, and both places required plenty of patience in navigating around other tourists as well as vehicles. Towns in Italy were not built with motorized transport in mind, leading to a very interesting dynamic between drivers and pedestrians, to say the least.

The team enjoyed great food and sunshine in both towns, got some swimming in and had plenty of bonding time as a group. After returning to Sorrento in the late afternoon, we got back on the bus to Naples and had free time for dinner and walking around the town for our second and final night.

On Thursday, we'll do a guided tour of the ruins in Pompeii in the morning, and then take the bus to Rome for our next three nights of Eagles in Italy.

DAY 3 - The ruins of the ancient City of Pompeii; arrival in Rome

Our third day started with a visit to the City of Pompeii, destroyed nearly 2,000 years ago by the ash from a volcanic eruption of Mount Vesuvius. The ruins were discovered in the late 16th century and are fascinating to see. We covered just a portion of the vast site but learned a lot thanks to our wonderful tour guides! We arrived by bus in Pompeii and began our tour at 10 am, finishing around noon. Although most of us were aware of what had happened at the site, it was eye-opening and amazing to see how well preserved the city actually is, and to know there's even more that hasn't been uncovered yet. 

After leaving Pompeii and a stop for lunch, we arrived three hours later in the capital city of Rome. Everyone had a couple hours to rest and/or get treatment from our outstanding athletic trainer Sam Raso. Near 7 pm, we headed to a team dinner at Hespresso and had a wonderful evening of great company and great food. We went to the upstairs after dinner and learned from our guide Francesca that the building was previously a train station and a stop on the Orient Express.

On Friday we'll tour the Colosseum and then walk around to see some of the city's most notable sites. Looking forward to another great day of #EaglesInItaly!

DAY 4 - The Colosseum and other amazing sights in Rome

On day four, we woke up in Rome ready to see as much of the city as the heat would allow, which was maybe a little less than we would have otherwise. But we forged ahead and had a great visit to the Colosseum, regarded as the most popular monument of the ancient world. Our tour guide took us all around the massive amphitheater that most of us had only ever seen in photos. It's an oval of 525 meters in circumference, and could host up to 50,000 within its walls, with uses for the site including animal hunts, gladiatorial contests, and dramas on Classical mythology.

After leaving the Colosseum we headed into the center of the city to walk around a bit, spending a little time at both the Pantheon and Piazza Navona. The Pantheon is famous for being the most preserved monument of ancient Rome.

The high heat cut the group walk a little short, but the rest of the day was free for exploring and team bonding. In the evening hours, the entire team gathered for lively card game-playing in the hotel lobby. On Saturday, a visit to the Vatican Museums will be followed by our first game of the trip.

DAY 5 - The Vatican Museums, Sistine Chapel, Saint Peter's Square and Game 1

After a little more (much-needed) sleep than usual, we got going with breakfast at 9:15 a.m. and left near 11 a.m. for the Vatican City. We split into two groups and had two tour guides to tell us all about the incredible frescoes throughout the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The scope of the work, particularly Michelangelo's famous frescoes, is absolutely incredible. We also took in the sights in Saint Peter's Square and Saint Peter's Basilica, where again the architecture and artwork is breathtaking. 

The heat of the day, close to 100 degrees, made outdoor time difficult, and the inside spaces at the Vatican Museums were often quite hot as well. But that was just a taste of what was to come at our first game!

We had a delicious pre-game meal at a restaurant close to the hotel, and left for our first game just after 5 p.m. We played a local club team, though not in their home gym which was not available. With no air-conditioning and the doors being opened only just at the time of warm-up, the heat was an issue for players and fans alike. But, we all survived, and the team even thrived!

After a 25-3 run to close the first half, the guys ultimately won 84-36 to give Duane Simpkins his first (unofficial) win as an Eagle. Turnovers were low, defense was high-energy and the offense was balanced. You love to see it! Tomorrow we'll leave Rome via high-speed train and head to Florence for the final few days of our trip.

DAY 6 - Train to Florence, Accademia, walking tour, Montecatini Terme

Day six started early with one last breakfast in Rome before departing for our final stop of the trip. We took the high speed train to Florence, normally three hours or so by car but only an hour and 45 minutes on the train. Once in Florence and having been taken to a meeting spot for later, we had time to shop around and go to lunch. 

When we all met back up at the Battistero di San Giovanni (Baptistery of St. John), we walked to the Accademia Gallery, an art museum best known as the home of Michelangelo's sculpture David. Our tour guides took us through the small museum which also served as a welcome break from the heat, around 100 degrees. We forged ahead with a walking tour afterwards, seeing some of the beautiful sights of the city including the well-known Palazzo Vecchio ("Old Palace") and Ponte Vecchio ("Old Bridge").

We then walked a ways to meet up with our bus, which had come with our luggage from Rome. We drove to where we're staying for our final three nights in Montecatini Terme, about 45 minutes outside of Florence. In the evening we had a truly wonderful meal with the entire travel party at another nearby hotel in town. Tomorrow there will be beach time at Lido de Camaiore, followed by our second of three games.

DAY 7 - Lido de Camaiore, Game 2

On our second-to-last full day in Italy, after many days of walking in the hot sun, the travel party went to the beach for some relaxation. The well-organized beach of Lido de Camaiore was about an hour away by bus, and with rented chairs and umbrellas, everyone was able to get some time on the sand and in the water. We went in the morning to avoid the worst of the day's heat, as temperatures rose to 103 degrees Fahrenheit in the region today. 

After returning to the hotel, the team ate pre-game meal and got ready for game two. The gymnasium, about 20 minutes away, was much better equipped than the first one, and even had air-conditioning! That was a huge relief for everyone. Our opponent, Orange1 Basket Bassano, was a hot-shooting team throughout most of the game. It was up and down with the Eagles trailing big early on but coming back to lead briefly in the third quarter. Ultimately, Bassano sank too many three-pointers and won the game, 89-80. American got 15 points from Geoff Sprouse, 14 from Eli Stephens and 10 from Lorenzo Donadio. The final game on Tuesday will be agains the same opponent, so there is a chance for redemption.

DAY 8 - Hanging around in Montecatini Terme, Game 3

On the final day of our trip before our travel day back to the United States, most of the team took it pretty easy in preparation for the final game. The heat wave and all the walking have taken a toll on everyone, especially the guys who warm-up and play in the hot gym when everyone else gets to take a breather. Today's high was 104 degrees, and it's hard to escape it even indoors with air-conditioning that does not quite match what we're used to in the States.

Our Montecatini Terme hotel has a pool and that was enough for many on the last day. Some of the travel party went shopping, and others went to the nearby town of Lucca for a few hours. During pregame meal, we all celebrated Kirsten Simpkins' (wife of Duane Simpkins) birthday with singing and cake. 

The day of rest paid off for the guys, who pulled out an 85-51 victory over the same team that had beaten us the night before. Our resident Italian, senior Lorenzo Donadio, led the Eagles with 16 points in front of his family who came to watch. Freshman Matt Mayock scored 13 points, freshman Gibraltar Coleman had 12, and sophomore Jermaine Ballisager Webb added 10. There were too many turnovers, but the solid shooting and strong defense made up for it. The mood was celebratory as we left the gym and get to come home with another win.

Tomorrow we will head to the airport in Florence for our 12:15 p.m. flight to Paris, leading to our eventual 4:35 p.m. flight to Dulles. Gaining six hours on the back end, we are meant to arrive home around 7 p.m. The trip has been hot but incredible, and everyone feels very grateful for having had this experience together. 

Italy, you will be missed.