Editor’s Note: Anna Heise of the University of Maine has agreed to write a blog during the Black Bears women’s basketball team’s trip to Italy. The senior center from Halle, Germany, will provide readers with a student-athlete’s perspective on the experience as the team enjoys the history and culture of Italy while playing a handful of games.
FLORENCE, Italy — Wednesday was all about art, culture and history.
Florence is the largest city we’ve been to so far. During the 50-minute bus ride to the center of Florence we learned about “How Italians Eat Pasta” and “How Easy It Is To Get Lost In Italy.”
The weather over the last couple of days has been in the 80’s so today’s 60’s felt kind of refreshing.
We met our local tour guide, Elena, in the center of Florence and started our three-hour tour in the Accademia Gallery where you can find the Statue of David. Seeing the same statue you only know from history books standing right in front of you was breathtaking.
After we left the museum, we went on a walk through the city. Some of the things we saw included: Cupola del Brunelleschi, Piazza del Duomo and Piazza della Signoria.
Today wasn’t only a culture day it was also game day. After finishing up our time in Florence we went to the gym, which was about an hour away. Before the game we had a clinic with the local kids. Each one of us took one Italian player and taught them a couple of things. It was really inspiring to see, how hard working and dedicated they were at this young age. It felt good to put a smile on their faces and tell them how much we admire their country.
After the clinic it was game time. The atmosphere was simply amazing. Everybody was so sweet and welcoming. You could feel the excitement in the air. The game went by super quick and we won by a score of 72-28.
After the game the parents of the team prepared a reception for us and we had some Italian snacks with the players from USE Basket Rosa. After taking photos and some small talk it was time to go back to the hotel to eat dinner. Another long, exciting day is in the books. Thursday we are going to Siena and San Gimignano. We have a two-day break before our next and last game of the trip.
About the author: Anna Heise is majoring in journalism at UMaine with a double minor in child development and family relations and creative writing. She enjoys hanging out with her teammates, traveling, reading and watching movies.