Tweet

BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Virginia Tech women’s basketball team is set to depart the Virginia Tech campus on Monday, May 19 to begin a 10-day foreign tour of Italy, as the Hokies are set to play three games while traveling throughout the country.

Members of the women’s basketball team will be giving fans a look inside the trip throughout the week via blog posts and photo galleries on www.hokiesports.com/wbasketball/blog/europe14.

The team will depart from Charlotte on Monday evening for an overnight flight to Munich, Germany, before continuing on to Rome and landing at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport in the early afternoon on Tuesday. The time difference between Rome and Blacksburg is five hours.

The Hokies will hit the ground running upon landing in Rome with a short walking tour before checking in to the hotel. On Wednesday, the Hokies will travel to Vatican City for tours of the Vatican Museum, St. Peter’s Basilica and the Sistine Chapel. Following the morning in the Vatican, the travel party will have time to sightsee on their own with the opportunity to visit the Spanish Steps and make wishes in Trevi Fountain.

Thursday’s schedule includes a guided tour of the famed Colosseum and Roman Forum, as well as free time to visit the Pantheon, the open market of Piazza Navonna and the Villa Borghese, which includes the zoo. In the evening, the Hokies will play their first game of the week, facing USD Santa Marinella at 7:30 p.m.

Tech will travel to Florence on Friday, stopping for a visit to the Accademia Gallery, which houses Michelangelo’s David. The Hokies will then travel on to Montecatini Terme, where they will be staying while in the Tuscany Region of Italy. On Saturday, May 24, the Hokies will spend the morning visiting one of the most iconic landmarks in the world, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, as well as the Field of Miracles and St. Mary’s Cathedral. That evening, Tech will play its second game of the trip at 6:30 p.m. against AS Virtus Basket Spezia in La Spezia.

On Sunday, the Hokies will travel to Padova where they will stay the next two nights and play the final game of the trip on Sunday evening against San Martino di Lupari at 6:30 p.m. Monday’s schedule is a trip to the famed city of Venice, including an outing to the renowned Murano glass works.

Tuesday begins the final leg of the tour, as the Hokies travel to Lake Como in the Italian Alps. Along the way, the travel party will stop in Verona to see “Juliette’s Balcony” as well as the Arena di Verona. That evening the team will be able to explore Lake Como on their own. The final full day in Italy (Wednesday, May 28) will be highlighted by a guided boat tour and a visit to the Bellagio resort.

The Hokies will depart Italy from Milan early on Thursday at 7 a.m. with a layover in Munich before landing back in Charlotte at 4:20 p.m.

Be sure to follow the Hokies throughout the week as Associate Director of Athletic Communications April Goode and members of the women’s basketball team will be blogging daily throughout the week to keep fans up-to-date on the trip as the team tours around Italy. In addition to the daily blogs the site, which can be found here (http://www.hokiesports.com/wbasketball/blog/europe14/) will feature photo galleries and recaps of the team’s three games. And be sure to follow the team on Twitter @VT_WBBall and Instagram @VTHokieWBB for updates during the 10-day trip.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's basketball, follow the Hokies on Twitter Follow @VT_WBBall