Day 10, back to USA

The following post is by senior captain, Ellise Sharpe!

We've had an amazing time in Italy! Although our trip is coming to an end we are all excited to get back to college hill. After our initial eight hour flight to Milan, we had quite the scare when we thought Kieja's bag was left in Newark. Luckily, one of the mens players had accidentally grabbed it and it was waiting for her at the hotel. That would have been an expensive wardrobe from Milan!

Pictures were at an all time high now that our team has acquired (6) selfie sticks over the course of the trip. Coach Behn even learned how to use one while exploring Lake Como! Those were a clutch purchase and quite possibly the best one, until Florence where Kieja made another HUGE purchase with a disco strobe light for a whopping 5 euros.  Amazinggg!



The team had a great time bargaining while at the outdoor leather market located a short distance from our hotel in Florence. Coach Behn, Jes, Bink, Mike, and Nat all got leather jackets. And of course they told them to "set it on fireeee!" Jord, Bec, Taneil, Savannah and myself "splurged" on leather purses and wallets. Jord and I killed it at bargaining and got ours for 1/3 of the asking price. The real winner of the trip for bargaining though goes to Coach P, he's the real MVP. "I was verbally slashing prices, wheeling and dealing." 




We also had a chance to see the famous bridge in Florence. It is good luck to put a lock on the fence near the bridge. Doing this brings you a lifetime of happiness and love with your partner. A few in our party may or may not have gotten yelled at for putting their locks on but who could pass up a lifetime of love?

Visiting Pisa was a nice getaway and we loved taking cliché pictures with the leaning tower. While some decided to sit in the shade, Megan, Jordin, Kieja and myself snuck away to take a couple more selfies. Here's one of our favorites! Why get a picture pushing the tower when you can mess it up with no effort?


We then made our way to the beautiful city of Rome. A couple alleys were a bit sketchy but the architecture of the buildings was beautiful. We found a great park near the hotel where we could do workouts with Coach P. Our hotel was located in a prime location. We were just a short walk from the Trevi fountain. Although it is under construction right now, that did not stop us from throwing our coins in and making wishes.



I loved going to Vatican City where we had the opportunity to walk through St. Peter's Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. The sculptures were incredible. We found out that inside the Vatican there are no paintings, but each of the pictures are actually mosaics made out of colorful glass. Glass is used because there are more options for color and it naturally reflects light.



We came away with four victories on the trip and are so thankful for the opportunity we had to come play. Our team is way ahead of where we were last year and are looking forward to a competitive season.

We would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible!  A special thank you to John and Carol Ball! Brown University and donors we cannot thank you enough!! Jack Hayes thank you for making this trip possible! Carolan Norris, thank you for traveling with us and supporting us throughout the trip! Donnie, thank you for getting our jerseys for us and driving through two states for us to wear them while in Italy as well as all the gear you prepared for us!  Thank you to our coaches who worked out with us on the trip and supplied us with powerades and endless water bottles in the scorching heat. Thank you to Emily, our trainer (always saving my life!) Taneil, our amazing manager, you do a great job and we appreciate everything you do!! Thank you to Massimo and Brian our tour guides!  Thank you Coach Behn for giving us the opportunity to grow closer as a team as we traveled through Italy and played the sport that we all love. And thank you to our awesome Roman alumni for putting on an event for our team and the men's team. It's amazing to find Brown support in every country and it's just another reason why our school is the best! Go Bears!!

Day 9, Rome

The following post is by sophomore, Megan Riley! 

Today we met downstairs for breakfast at 9:30am and at 10:15am we boarded the bus to head to Vatican City. Once we arrived we met with our guide to start our tour which began outside of the walled enclave and ended inside of St. Peter's Basilica. As a sign of respect we had to cover our shoulders and knees, a surprisingly difficult task for the extremely hot weather conditions. Some of us wore long skirts, and others (shoutout to KJ) rocked a shirt, blouse, and long brown basketball shorts. Yes, super cute.

At the beginning of the tour we got to see Greek and Roman marble statues inside of the Sala Rotunda that represented the highest ideals of art, some of which even inspired Michelangelo in his creation of David. It was cool that we had the opportunity to see the statue of David in the Galleria dell' Academia in Florence, and then compare it to the statues that inspired Michelangelo. 

We made our way to the Sistine Chapel and of course got to see Michelangelo's The Last Judgement. Although pictures were not permitted, I managed to stealthily snap a pic just before I was scolded by an aggressive Spanish woman for doing so. 

Shortly after that we made our way to St. Peter's Basilica, the most famous Roman Catholic church in the world. We walked around inside for a bit to check out the amazing architecture and design. We also saw a gilt bronze tomb containing the body of Pope St. Pius X. 

After the tour we had a chance to grab a quick bite to eat and check out some souvenirs shops. At 2:00pm we boarded the bus and headed back to the hotel. Most of us squeezed in a much needed nap, and packed our suitcases for our early departure in the morning. At 5:30pm we left with the men's team for our alumni event, dressed to the nines, might I add.

The event started at 6:00pm and began with mingling amongst a few Brown alums while snacking on mini pizzas, tomato and mozzarella appetizers, and yummy sandwiches. It was interesting hearing from others about their experiences at Brown, and how they returned to Italy to pursue their professional lives. We had a Q and A and while we gained an interesting perspective about exploring career paths internationally, the alums were eager to hear about what it's like to currently be a student-athlete at Brown and what the recruiting and admission processes entail.

If you thought the fun ended there, you thought wrong! Once the event wrapped up, we headed to our last dinner where I had delicious Penne Alla Vodka. We ended our night by exploring the city as a team, taking in the unique culture and beautiful sights. We are so lucky and grateful for the opportunity to play in and explore Italy. It is definitely safe to say we had an incredible time here. So, thank you Italy for an unforgettable trip. Italia è molto bella!

Grazie è arrivederci,

Megan

Day 8, Rome

The following post is by senior captain, Natalie Ball!

8:30 AM Jordin, KJ, and I ambitiously embark on a run throughout the streets of Rome. It was great until we reached the Spanish steps and for some reason decided to run up the 200 something steps. Needless to say it was a serious struggle, but we survived. The team met shortly after at 9:30 for breakfast before we began our day. 

11:00 AM The entire squad goes on a Segway tour around Rome! The only real pros at maneuvering the Segway were coach Behn's sons, and they even tried to knock each other off a few times. We all seemed to get the hang of steering the Segways and it was certainly a nice break from walking (since we've been walking miles on miles everyday). Our tour took us to a cliff that overlooked the city of Rome that had just a gorgeous view. Unfortunately, we had a few crashes and tumbles on the Segways, but we all made it out in one piece (I think our tour guide was relieved to get rid of us). I think it's safe to say that the Segway tour was the highlight of Rome!

12:00 After the Segway tour, we all had a few hours of free time to get some more sightseeing in and, of course, shopping. A group of us went to the Trevi fountain. Although the fountain was undergoing some reconstruction, we were still able to throw our coins over our right shoulder into the fountain and make a wish (just like the Lizzie McGuire movie)!

3:45 PM The team and Coach P headed to the Spanish steps to strech before our game. Afterwards we all walked to a ristorante for pregame meal, in which we finally had spaghetti and meatballs!🙌  

8:00 Game time! We played the Athena Baskets and pulled out another victory defeating them 94 to 31! The Bears finished with an overall record of 4-0! Go Bruno!

Day 7, Rome

The following blog post is written by sophomore, Kennedy Martin!

Fresh off our 89-22 victory the night before, we woke up bright and early the following morning to workout with our strength and conditioning mastermind, Coach P, at a nearby park. After the workout, we returned to the hotel, showered and had a quick breakfast, we put on our most airy dresses and shorts and braved the heat for a truly amazing tour of the Colosseum (or Colosseo, if you're pretty much fluent in Italian by now, like me). We learned some awesome things like where the word 'fornicate' comes from and how many slaves it actually took to build the entire arena, and why there are so many holes in the walls. 

From the Colosseum we walked straight over to the Roman forum (or what was left of it) and learned about the center of political, social, and religious life for the Romans at that time. 

After we came home, rested, and furiously reapplied deodorant (did I mention it was 95 degrees), a few of my other teammates and I decided to explore the city of Rome (or at least what was a reasonable amount of miles to walk) and made our way to the Trevi fountain and the Spanish steps. We also admittedly did some major shopping; but you can't blame us for that, you know, because of the whole 'when in Rome' thing. 

** Fun fact: As we were walking by Gucci, 40 or so people stormed the store door because apparently Mariah Carey thought it was appropriate to steal our Italian thunder #stillsalty   

After our little excursion we all met back at the hotel and had, (non)arguably, the most amazing Italian dinner of all time at 'La Tavernetta Sistina.'

Overall we had a fantastic day and to be honest, I really don't want to ever leave this place. 

- Kennedy

Day 6, Florence to Rome

The following post is by sophomore Savannah Johnson!

It's been real Florence but off to Rome we go!! After sleeping in a little and another hotel breakfast, we braved a three hour bus ride to Rome. About two hours into the drive we stopped at what I'd call the most glorious rest stop ever. The stop had a full "ristorante" (said in my newly assumed Italian accent) ... with a cheese bar I might add... some seriously chic bathrooms, and of course your average snacks, drinks, etc. 

We finally arrived in Rome and settled into the hotel around 2pm local time and quickly turned around for a pregame "stretch" with Coach P (insert dramatic air quotes here). Unlike the previous hotels, there was no space big enough for us to stretch thus forcing us to find a local park. Easier said than done... Us girls and Coach Behn followed behind Coach P through the mostly beautiful streets of Rome in search of a suitable park with his handy dandy map in hand. With no luck, we eventually settled for a stretch of shaded sidewalk.

After we returned from what seemed more like a walking tour of the entire city of Rome rather than a quick park stretch, we had pregame meal which consisted of grilled chicken parm, pasta, and salad at a small restaurant across the street from the hotel. 

Game 3! We played Omega Basket, which despite the final score proved more competitive than the 2 teams from Milan. We won 89-22 and enjoyed a packed gym with some of the most enthusiastic fans I've ever played in front of. 

Today was a good day!

Better brace yourself Rome! The Lady Beahs have officially arrived!

VannahLeighBaby

Day 5, Florence

The following blog post if from Janie White!

This morning we all got up for some breakfast at the hotel, where there is an amazing view of Florence. Soon after, we departed for a tour of the city and Galleria dell’Accedemia. We then departed on our tour exploring the narrow and charismatic streets of Florence, as our tour guide explained many different aspects of the city along with its rich history. We reached Accedemia at about 10am where there were a variety of paintings and sculptures that were astounding. We all were the most excited to the statue of David, which was the most beautiful piece of art I had ever seen. We spent a while taking in all the detail and precision of the sculpture and were just in awe. 

Once we departed, and our tour came to a close, we all separated and had a successful day of shopping. We all learned very quickly that Coach Pimentel has the most aggressive bargaining skills out of everyone. 

After a few hours to ourselves, we all met back at the hotel to depart for Pisa. After an extremely quiet, and sleep filled bus ride, we made it to Pisa. We walked through more shops and were bombarded with men trying to sell everyone “genuine” Rolexes and handbags. As we reached the Leaning Tower of Pisa we all took a ton of pictures, but my personal favorite is this one with the whole team pushing against Coach P. 

We then split off. Some had a bite to eat while others explored the Cathedral. Personally, my favorite part was when Kennedy, Natalie, and I were talking to a children's Table Tennis Team from China. They were so adorable so we had to get pictures with them. After we explored Pisa, we departed for Florence at 5:30 pm and had a little time to freshen up before Dinner. 

Our dinner for the night was very upscale, and we all enjoyed it, and of course after dinner we had to keep with tradition and go to get some gelato! After that the team enjoyed the rest of our night walking through the streets of Florence and as usual, making it very interesting! 

-Janie

Day 4, Milan to Florence

This blog post was written by junior guard, Rebecca Musgrove!

Today we were up bright and early on the roof top for a harsh workout. We had an intense conditioning and body weight session to start the day.

After our workout we packed our stuff, ate breakfast, and were on our way to destination number two! It was about a 3 hour ride to Florence. Some of us got a nap in while others played games to pass the time. Coach P. even discovered he was the "perfect alpha male", describing himself as a combo of the hulk, captain american, and a few other superheroes.

When we got to Florence we were all ready to shop. We walked through the world famous leather market and treated ourselves to some great bags, jackets and belts! The city was beautiful and the shopping was endless. Needless to say we were in our glory and quickly blowing through our Per diem! There was also much to see!

The city was beautiful and the team made it to the famous Ponte Vecchio. Then some of us came across the huge, gorgeous Duomo Cathedral. We shopped until the stands closed up and off to dinner we went. We had a great meal at Canto De' Nelli and bragged about all the great haggling we did and tried outdoing eachother with what deals we got. It was a very eventful and enjoyable day which of course ended with gelato. 

We are extremely grateful for the opportunity we were given and have truly been enjoying every minute of it with out friends and families! Looking forward to the rest of what Italy has to offer us!