TREVISO, Italy – On the last full day in Italy, the Illinois State men's basketball team took a guided walking and boat tour of Venice, Italy, and learned many new things about the city.
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The team boarded a train early on Friday morning to take the 30-minute commute to Venice, where they were greeted by their tour guide. The walking tour commenced where the team learned of the incredible number of bridges within the city and how the city is held up by wooden planks built into the marsh area.
"I thought Venice was a good place to go for the last day," said junior guard Matt Chastain. "It was really cool – and something you see in movies. It didn't disappoint – knowing more about it made it seem more interesting. The tour guide we had was born and raise in Venice, and he let the group know that there are over 100 islands, 400 bridges, and the whole thing is built on wooden platforms. Learning more about the city and not just seeing it in pictures was really cool.'
After stopping for some food and drink, the traveling party boarded boats for a boat tour of the city, checking out the primary waterways within Venice. After being dropped off the team trekked back with some souvenir shopping for themselves and family members along the way.
"Venice is a beautiful city," said senior Hank Beard. "It's crazy how it is mostly waterways, there are no true roads anywhere you go in the city. You are either walking or you're going by boat. All the buildings are right there at water level, so you walk out and get on a boat to get around. Everything is so beautiful out there, and there are a lot of things to do."
After getting a chance to rest back in the hotel room, the team later had a team dinner before returning to the hotel for the evening.
ISU will leave Italy tomorrow and will arrive back in Chicago in the later afternoon.
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