NORMAL, Ill. – The Illinois State women's basketball team will take an 11-day trip to Italy where it will play three games in addition to seeing numerous historic and world-famous sites.
The NCAA allows teams to travel internationally during the summer once every four years, and the team is granted 10 days of practice coinciding with the trip.
"We are so thrilled to have the opportunity to travel to Italy and expose our team to Italian culture," head coach Kristen Gillespie said. "This will be an incredible trip full of unforgettable memories for our players. I am so thankful that our administration is allowing us to provide this once in a lifetime experience for everyone in our program."
The trip begins on Wednesday, Aug. 6 when the team boards a late afternoon flight out of Chicago for a direct flight into Rome, arriving on the morning of Thursday, Aug. 7 into Rome Fiumicino Airport. After arriving in Rome, the team will begin an afternoon guided tour of the infamous city.
The next day (Thursday, Aug. 8) the squad is scheduled for stops at the Roman Forum and the Colosseum. On the following day, the team will take a bus to Vatican City and will play their first game in the evening.
"I have been very pleased with our team's progress on the court and in the weight room this summer," said Gillespie. "Our staff is really excited to be able to practice for 10 straight days. With six new players, it will be awesome to get the opportunity to get a jump start on the upcoming season."
Saturday, Aug. 12 features a change of scenery as the team will head to Florence for the next leg of their trip, with the day beginning with a guided tour of the city and a stop at Academia Gallery. While in Florence, the squad will also play their second game of the trip on Sunday, Aug. 11.
On the morning of Monday, Aug. 12, the team will depart for Mestre, where they will have day to unwind and sightsee. The next day, Tuesday, Aug. 13, the squad will take a boat to Venice and have the day to explore the city.
Wednesday, Aug. 14 sees the team arrive in Como, where there the team will play their third and final game of the 11-day trip. The next morning and the team's last day in Italy, features a boat tour of Lake Como. The squad will head to the airport Friday morning and is scheduled to arrive in Chicago at 7:30 p.m.
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