Beavers in Italy Day 1: Rome
August 26, 2015 | Women's Basketball
A long day of travel yielded great rewards for the Beavers on Wednesday. The squad loaded up the bus in Corvallis at 3:30 a.m. PT Tuesday morning for their journey to Italy. Two flights and a layover in Washington DC later, the Beavers landed in Rome just before 8 a.m. local time on Wednesday.
After heading through customs, the Oregon State squad quickly found its way into the historic city, taking a bus tour through Italy's capital. The afternoon was punctuated by a visit to the Roman Forum, and a tour of the Colosseum, a favorite of the student-athletes.
“It's been an incredible experience already,” said Oregon State senior Samantha Siegner. “The Colosseum was amazing. It's an iconic landmark and all of the history that surrounds it makes it a a very cool place to visit. It was really awesome.”
“Everything we saw today was awesome,” said freshman Katie McWilliams. “I've never seen buildings with the history that exists here. The Colosseum was great to see. It's so well know, it was a lot of fun.”
The Beavers followed that up by enjoying the local cuisine at Caffe Nettuno, before heading into town for further sight-seeing and shopping.
With their first day under their belts, Oregon State is looking forward to an exciting week ahead.
“I'm really looking forward to continuing to experience the Italian culture and history this week,” Siegner said. “I can't wait to see Venice in particular.”
And on top of the sightseeing and adventures, the Beavers are ready to get back together as a team on the court.
“I can't wait to get on the floor,” McWilliams said. “This will be my first chance to play with this team, so I'm really excited.”
The Italian adventure will continue tomorrow, when the team visits the Vatican, including the famed Sistine Chapel.
