Day 5: Florence

Today we traveled to the city of Florence. It is a town that has 320,000 inhabitants. Florence is known for its leather, Chianti wine, balsamic vinegar, 13th century renaissance, beautiful countryside, statues, and extra virgin olive oil. We learned that the "Extra Virgin" in the olive oil means the 1st squeeze from the olives. Olives can be squeezed up to 4 times to make olive oil, but the best comes from the original squeeze. Balsamic vinegar is another delicacy that makes Florence unique. It takes over 20 years to make authentic Balsemic Vinegar. The authentic balsamic vinegar is very pure and thick. It also comes in a dark green, glass bottle. The Tuscany countryside of Florence is undescribable. It is extremely hilly and filled with vineyards for making wine and olive trees for the olive oil. A lot of the group purchased some form of leather souvenier to remember their time in Florence. We also got to witness Michaelangelo's David, an enormous piece of work, all made from marble. We also learned the meaning behind the colors of the Italian flag: red = charity, white = faith, and green = hope. Tomorrow is exciting as it will be be gameday.

Day 4: Bologna

Today we left Venice and went on our way to Florence. On the way, we stopped in Bologna. The city was much less populated with tourists. As soon as we arrived, it began raining for the first time. This wasn't necessarily a bad thing because the city is covered in 34 kilometers of arcades, better known as archways. We spent about 2 hours in the city and got to experience a different type of italian culture. Many of the guys got to experience Bologna tortellini. The city is also full of many universities at which mechanical engineering is a popular area of study. The first university of the country was in Bologna around the year of 1088. We actually walked past the California College of Berkley's italian campus. Some of the more expensive cars of the world are also made in Bologna. Ferrari and Lamborghini are both produced near the city. Later today we will arive in Florence where we will spend the next 3 nights.

~written by Kyle Smith, sophomore offensive line

Day 3: Venice

Today we travelled to the beautiful city of Venice. Venice is cut off from the Italian mainland and required a short boat ride in order to reach it. Venice is home to 60,000 residents and 15-20 million tourists per year. Venice is known for its glass blowing. We had a private demonstration in which one of Venices' finest performed the craftful art. Much of the team enjoyed riding the gondolas that strolled through the canals of Venice. I preferred to travel the back streets, where we got lost and actually enjoyed the magnificent Venice culture. We also were taught how to distinguish the way Italian generals died in war based upon the number of hooves their horse had on the ground. Three legs on the ground meant they died at home from battle wonds. Four legs on the ground meant they died from natural causes, non-battle related. Two legs on the ground meant they died in battle. Overall, Venice was sweet. It is definitley a place I would see again.

~written by JJ Mihoci, senior defensive back

Day 2: Milan

Today we had the pleasure of seeing the beautiful city of Milan. Milan is one of the richest cities in all of Italy. It also is one of the top three fashion places in the world, home to corporate headquarters of the top designers like Gucci, Prada, Louis Vuitton, etc. Milan is home to many young adults searching for adventure and a start to their careers. We were surprised when we had to pay 1,50 euros to use the restroom. We also learned not to take things that the locals tried to give us unless they wanted to be hassled for payment. We are are working on our Italian lingo in order to get the things we desire. One thing that I found interesting in Milan is the size of the cars and how they parked. Most cars are two-seaters and parked on grass medians or sidewalks.

~written by Michael Busch, senior wide receiver

Video will be forthcoming in the next few days. For pictures, visit www.onusports.com and check out the football website.

Day 1: Travel Day

Today was a long, tiring travel day for the team. Everyone made their flight on time and adapted well to the international flights. The food on the plane was ok...defintiely not the typical food football players are use to eating. There were some delays leaving Cleveland, but it all worked out in the end. Tomorrow we will be traveling to Milan to see the city.

Press Release from Global Football

The official press release for our game in Italy has been released. Enjoy!

http://www.adaherald.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=7&ArticleID=103796

Italy Travel Booklet

Below is the final travel booklet each member going on the trip will receive. Please use this information for your trip preparations.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/38321755/ITALY-TRAVEL-BOOKLET

Italy Game Plan

The following links have Anthony Travel's tips for traveling. Please print and review both pages as you continue to prepare for the trip. More information will be forthcoming in the next week.


http://www.docstoc.com/docs/37629109/Italy-Gameplan-Page-1

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/37629488/Italy-Gameplan-Page-2