Last updated Tuesday, March 10.
As Hill broke for spring break on Friday, a group of 16 Hill basketball players and 16 adults (coaches, spouses, and friends of the program) set off for Italy. We will be writing every couple of days with a journal of our travels to each of our four stops in the country. We flew directly from Philadelphia to Rome, where we spent two amazing days to kickoff the trip. We now are on now on our way to Siena (via bus, with a stop for Cipsters, cappuccinos, and chocolate) and Florence. Then it’s on to Venice, and finally to Milan, home of Carlo Bettini '10. We will try to send pictures soon, but may have to wait until our return to Pottstown to successfully upload them.
DAYS 1-2: Roma
After landing in Rome, we checked in to the Hotel Diana, put our bags down, showered up after the overnight flight, and headed to a nearby Metro stop under the able guidance of our tour guide, Ms. Raffaella Lodola. Luckily, Raffaella’s English is far better than our Italian….the boys quickly learned the meaning of "andiamo" as the subway doors shut quickly and I had to pry the doors open to allow Ian Odle '11 to escape in time.
We took the Metro to the Spagna stop, and walked down Via Condotti (Carlo called it the 5th Avenue of Rome, but with cobblestone pavement) to our lunch spot, Autogrill. Autogrill is like an upscale travel stop and many of the guys wasted no time trying out Italian pizza. Others opted for a full meal of antipasto, ravioli, salad, and fruit tartes. Back to the Metro and on to the Vatican. Kenny King '11 got the prize for taking the most pictures as he has been instructed to return with 2000 photos. The boys were overwhelmed by the Sistine Chapel, and it was great to see them marveling at tapestries, statues, and art. Aside from the Sistine Chapel, my favorite room was the Gallery of Maps. From the Vatican we hoofed it to St. Peter’s Basilica in time to hear the end of Saturday mass. We rubbed St. Peter’s feet and saw Michelangelo’s sculpture of Mary.
As the sun set after a warm, sunny day on the historic plaza outside the church, a tired group rallied and walked back to the Metro, returning for a hearty dinner of pasta and chicken scaloppini. Despite the long day, everyone was excited to walk out and try some gelato before we rested our heads for the night.
Caught up on sleep, and buoyed by delicious cups of cappuccino, our group boarded our tour bus on Sunday and immediately headed to the Colosseum. Our Roman tour guide for the day, Waldo, got us right in and the guys could not get enough of the magnitude and history of this site. There were lots of Gladiator references and quotes thrown around. From there we walked to Basilica di San Pietro in Vincoli, one of Rome’s four major churches. Back on the bus, we drove by Cathedral San Jun of Latera where the Pope lived for 1000 years. We saw numerous Obelisks, the Laternano Palace, the Battiserie, Callicutta, one of the famous Baths, and Circus Maximum (of Ben Hur fame). We drove by Domus Augustana, Pallatino Hill, the Emperor’s residence, and Giano Arc.
From there we saw Capitol Hill, Marcelo’s Theater, and Venetian Square. There we saw Trevii Fountain, which was very impressive. The boys all made wishes as they threw in their coins. After reminding them what a one Euro coin was worth, most donated their American coins instead. We took lunch in Colona Square, with everyone picking out their own spots to eat. My wife, Donna, and I enjoyed a ham and cheese panini and Rome’s popular spaghetti alla amadragiana. After lunch we rendezvoused and went to see Palace Chigi and the Marcus Aurelius columns, and then the Pantheon -- an open dome built 2000 years ago; it was awesome! We finished our walking tour, checking out more fountains at the Piazza Navona, the entrance to the ancient stadium, and the Palace of Justice on the Tiber River. On the drive home, we saw the Olympic Stadium, where Coach Nocella told the group that Villanova-graduate Don Bragg won gold in the pole vault in the 1960 Olympic games. Only fellow Nova-grad Theresa Fischer (wife of Coach Karl Fischer) applauded. The drive back to the hotel continued to cross by some of the eight miles of city walls that remain around Rome.
With our game in Rome cancelled due to our opponent’s win in their championships, our tour guide got major points with the guys by surprising them with tickets to that evening’s Virtus Roma game -- Rome’s professional basketball team in the top league, A1. The home team ,led by MAPL league (Peddie) graduate Ibrahim Jabber, won the game. Jabber -- a graduate of Penn and former Ivy League player of the year --was one of several Americans who played in the game, including fellow Penn alumnus Jerome Allen, UConn graduate Rashad Anderson, and Brandon Jennings. Jennings recently gained a lot of press for going straight from high school to play professionally in Europe. He seemed excited to meet some other American teenagers after the game, and was nice to take some photos with the team. The Hill guys had fun shooting around on the stadium floor, and would have stayed all night, but a late dinner back at the hotel awaited them. There we celebrated the 18th birthday of Mike Howell '09 with candles, singing, and cake.
As the sun begins to emerge from behind early morning clouds, we continue to whiz by olive trees and vineyards on our way to check in at Villa Il Poggi.
Days 3-4: Tuscany, Siena, and Florence
First, I realize in my haste to get our first post to Pottstown that I skipped some editing and so several Italian sites are certainly creatively and phonetically spelled. En Diamo….the bus pulled out early for Siena and after careful navigation of some treacherous and windy roads, we arrived at Al Chiaro di Luna, and had simply the best lunch ever. Set in the Tuscan countryside, we had penne contadino, veal cutlets, salad, and fries. As I sipped on my espresso con latte at the bar, I sent my first posting home at this quaint villa-style restaurant that had free Wi-Fi!
After this most sumptuous lunch, we headed into Siena for a three-hour walking tour. We started with a beautiful view of the city and then walked down into the Basilica Caterinana Di San Domenico. Hill’s HAM teachers would be impressed that Mike Howell immediately recognized the pointed arches from the Gothic period. Inside we saw all the large frescoes dedicated to St. Catherine. From there we almost got hit by a delivery truck and after our tour guide finished “discussing” things with the driver, we proceeded to Piazza Salimbeni, where it seemed every street in Siena converged. Nearby we saw the oldest bank in Italy, founded in 1472. We saw the busts atop the building in the square of many important Italian men, including Dante Allegri, the founder of the Italian language. From there, we walked by the sundry shops on the many side streets to Piazza del Campo, characterized by the nine triangles that represented the Nine Good Men of the Government. We saw the Palace of the Noble Family, the Toro de Mange, the Happiness Fountain, the Venus Statue, and Mary, the Protector of Siena. We heard the full story of the Pallio races, the annual horse race between the 17 contradas (parishes) that starts in the square each summer. On our way back to the bus, we saw Siena’s Duomo, which was started in the 12th century and was finished in 1339.
We could not have anticipated the next stop on our trip, as we pulled into a castle halfway between Siena and Firenze (Florence) in the remote town of San Casciano (pop. 4000 and birthplace of Machiavelli). Villa il Poggiale is a regal estate built in the 1400s of just 19 rooms, 15 of which have been inhabited by The Hill group for these two nights. We all enjoyed touring each other’s rooms, each one unique. Simply, it’s out of this world, with unbelievable views of the gorgeous countryside, terrific food, and heated towel racks. There must have been some mistake when we were booked here, but the boys have enjoyed it immensely and been most appreciative and respectful of this very special place.
Well rested, we headed out for a full day in Florence. On the drive we passed the cemetery where 4,400 American soldiers from the war are buried. We arrived and walked to Florence Bike Shop, and hopped on bikes with electronic radios in our ears to hear the tour guide, both for information about Florence and about how to “safely” navigate the streets. The tour took us to the famous Duomo, the world’s fourth biggest Cathedral, and the Bell Tower. We went to the “new” district (1895) to see the Church of the Religious Order of Dominican Friars. We crossed the Arno River and saw the market, with open sides and top, then rubbed the bronze pig’s nose. We quickly realized that in Florence there is no square without a church, and no church without a square. The Piazza Della Signoria from the end of the 1200’s held the old government palace and there we saw where the fake David was (being cleaned), and lots of statues commissioned by the Medicis. We saw the church where Michaelangelo and Gallileo are buried. Everyone returned their bikes alive, which we considered a great success. We walked to a delicious lunch at Osteria dell Olio. After lunch, everyone broke off for some free time, and the most popular activities were climbing the 463 steps to the top of the Duomo for a view of Florence, gelato, espresso, and of course, buying presents for parents back home.
We finished the day with a stop at the Verrazano family estate, Castello di Verrazzano. If the name is familiar, it’s because this family gave stones to help build New York’s Verrazano Bridge. There we heard about the Chianti wine that this region is famous for and that this family has produced since 1170. The views from atop this castle were majestic and we can’t wait to upload our photos to share with you.
A lasagna dinner back at Villa il Poggiale followed and prior to dessert we had each player speak, relating their favorite and least favorite things on the trip to date. At the halfway point, the Colliseum, St. Peter’s Basillica, and the Italian pro basketball game ranked atop the list. It was nice to hear Italy native, Carlo Bettini, relate that his favorite thing was “having you all with me in my country.” The night ended with Family Fun Game Night. Mrs. DiCandilo and Coach Hagarman led us through a trio of Charades, Taboo, and One Word/One Sound. Game night MVP’s were Mrs. Ebner, fifth former Andrew Donald, fourth former Andrew Weis, and third former Josh Heyliger. His team of Mr. and Mrs. Manning, Mrs. DiCandilo, Mrs. Eilberg, Kenny King, Mike Howell, and Raffaella were the winners of the competition.
Start of Day 5…
With our first game just two days away, our team trainer, Jon DiCandilo, led the team and coaches and Donna (Coach Eilberg’s wife) through an early morning workout. We ran La Collina dell’ Inferno, The Hill of Hell. The boys certainly now have an appreciation of how hilly the Tuscan region of Italy is. After another big breakfast, with everything from cornetto, to yogurt, to quiche, to prosciutto, we loaded our bus for Firenze Railway Station. There, some of the boys had a taste of home visiting the McDonalds. Kenny King reported that it was now not the same, as his palate has become too sophisticated. We boarded our Eurostar for a 2.5-hour journey to Venice. More to come from Venezia….
Days 5 and 6: Venezia
We rushed off the train in Mestre, a town just outside of Venice where we would play our first game the following day. Any trip with this many people and for this long is bound to have a few hiccups, and we were blessed to have very few. In my haste to be sure all our players were off the train, I didn’t have time to check if all my own bags made it off, and as we watched the train pull off I realized my garment bag was still on the train. We also realized that we had someone else’s bag in the group of bags that we had pulled off the train. We recognized Oklahoma on the bag tag as the home state of two women we had met on the train and knew that their last stop was the Venice station. Working quickly, our guide and Carlo had the train company call on to the train, and we were able to notify the woman that we had her bag. We met her at the Venice station, and to my delight, she had pulled my bag off the train! We made the exchange, and gave her a Hill basketball t-shirt for her troubles.
With that little detour behind us, we continued on to Tronchetto where we boarded a boat for Venice and Plaza San Marcos. After a morning of travel, our guys were happy for lunch. The boys ate in the trusted (and inexpensive) Autogrill, while the adults ate panninis and pizza across the street at Piccolo Pizza. Despite a cold and rainy day, we headed out to tour Doge's Palace. The guys found the tour of the prisons below to be exciting. From there, we went to a glass blowing demonstration, after which everyone toured around the island on their own. Most importantly, Raffaella took the boys to restock on Nutella! We loaded a big powerboat for a nighttime ride back to the bus, and the boat captain got huge points with the guys by playing dance music VERY loudly. Several of the guys started an impromptu dance party above deck.
The bus ride to Susegana (population 5,000) took 45 minutes, and we all spilled into our new hotel for much needed hot showers and another phenomenal dinner. We came downstairs to the restaurant to find prepared menus with The Hill School logo on them. The pasta dish, fancy raviolis with pear and cheese in oil, was especially interesting and of course, delicious. The view from outside the restaurant stretched for miles and miles as the Hotel Astoria sat atop a hill above the town.
The next morning we returned to Tronchetto and boarded a boat to tour some more islands. Due to more inclement weather and rough seas, we could only get to one island, Murano, but we learned a lot from our local guide during our boat ride about the history of Venice and the other islands, and saw a lot from the comfort of our covered boat. We were able to see more glass blowing in Murano and walked around the city a bit. We had a great pre-game lunch at Serenella Pizzeria of pizza, pasta, and salad, and headed to the stadium for what would be the focus of this day -- the team’s first competition in Italy, a “basket match” as the Italians call it, against the Under 17 team from Club Reyer, a basketball club outside Venice in the town of Mestre that was founded in 1872. (A few of the adults chose to tour Treviso during the game and joined back up with us later).
We arrived at a stadium very unlike any gym where we play on our Hill schedule. It was a dome, with a small corridor around the entire facility, with training rooms, weight room, and Spogliatoro (locker rooms). In all, it was a stadium which sat almost 6,000 people and was totally dedicated to the town’s club basketball team, which competes in the A2 Italian pro league. We reacquainted ourselves quickly in our team room with our basketball particulars, and jumped on the court for warmups. The stadium had a huge video monitor and the game was filmed for local television. We even left with a DVD of our game. Before the game, I had a chance to meet with Coach Dan Peterson, the John Wooden of Italian basketball. He serves as a consultant to this club program.
After the teams' players and coaches exchanged Hill basketball T-shirts for red Reyer hats, we began our first game. Despite several elements (different rules {read below}, fatigue, and a two-week layoff from basketball) that could have detracted from our performance, Hill jumped to a quick 9-2 lead. Essentially, we were able to maintain that lead throughout the game, rotating regularly through all 13 healthy players. In the end, Hill won the opening match 66-59, and we got to play an extra quarter after that for some more fun. One Italian player really stood out, and we found out later he was a national team member.
Some of the above factors (not excuses!) may have caught up with us and are reflected in our shooting performance with 34% from the field and just 43% from the foul line. Josh Heyliger '12 led four Hill players in double figures with 14. He would add 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals to a strong effort which included a spectacular missed dunk that we’re all excited to watch on video! Ryan Deitrich '09 added 12 points and 9 rebounds. Nick Gore '09 added 11 points and 8 rebounds, and Alex Herzing '09 had 11 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Eleven of Hill’s players scored, and Carlo Bettini '10 made a nice return home with 4 points, 4 steals, and 3 assists. Andrew Weis '11 chipped in 6 points and 4 rebounds. Andrew Donald '10 pulled in 6 rebounds, and Steve Sitko '09 had 4 boards.
In Italy, the clubs field a professional team and youth teams for all different ages, all under the same umbrella, with sponsorship and great local support. The level of organization of their entire operation was very impressive. In sum, they are very proud of their club and were excited to have us visiting and competing. Many families and young children came out to watch our game, and our team ran a free youth clinic following the game for about 70 kids, boys and girls ages 5-12. They all had matching club sweatsuits on and our players and the Italian children all had a blast! We handed out t-shirts and took many pictures, and thanked everyone for a very special experience. We then went back to Hotel Astoria in Susegana, where we celebrated our first win with pasta, grilled veal, and fresh cream and berries.
European rules that differ from USA rules:
| USA |
Europe |
| Four 8-minute quarters |
Four 10-minute quarters |
| No shot clock |
24-second shot clock |
| 10 seconds to get ball over halfcourt |
8 seconds to get ball over halfcourt |
| 1-and-1 bonus after 6 fouls in each half |
2-shot bonus after 5 fouls in each quarter |
| Can pass into backcourt on inbounds |
Cannot pass into backcourt on inbounds |
| Can call timeout anytime |
Can only call timeout at stoppages in play |
Days 7-9: Milano
A VERY early rise and 5 a.m. departure were necessary to arrive by bus in Milan in time for our appointment to view the original The Last Supper. We pulled into Milan at 9 a.m. It was Fashion Week in Milan and there was an accidental overbooking in our original hotel, so our guide informed me that we would have to stay (for no additional cost) in a 5-star hotel, Hotel Grand Visconti Palace. I told her not to worry, and as we dropped our bags and marveled at what really was an accidental booking this time. I could tell the group would be fine staying here for our final two nights… Astonished, we boarded our Milano tour bus.
The early wakeup was worth it! The da Vinci masterpiece was simply awesome, and we were fortunate to be able to score tickets for the allotted 15-minute viewing. I thought our local guide here was the best and it was great to see the kids take a sincere interest in such history and to hear them discuss connections to their Hill studies. The idea that it would take four years to complete a painting was a staggering thought, and given our pride in Hill’s history of 150+ years, we were again in awe of something so relevant from the 15th century.
To protect the relic from humidity, only 25 people are allowed in at one time to see it, so our group was split in two, with kids taking snacks and a much-needed cappuccino break across the street while we waited for each other. From there, we re-boarded our bus for a quick jump over to Castello di Milano, built in 1368. We then drove past the Cathedral, which we would go see later. The story of the 15-foot golden Madonnina (little Madonna) atop it prompted the song of Milan by Carlo, Raffaella, and our guide. By the end of the day, we could all sing it. Next we got out to tour La Scala, the world’s most famous Opera House.
We then toured Duomo Square, walking to it through the Galleria (1877), “the living room of Milan.” We saw the original Prada store, oddly positioned caddy corner to another McDonald’s. In between, we all took turns rotating our feet through the hole in the pavement for good luck. Walking into the Cathedral, Mike Howell '09 and Ian Odle '11 had pigeons flock to them, and we have great pictures of both guys with multiple pigeons resting on their outstretched arms. Into the world’s third largest cathedral we went. Again, the idea that this structure took 500 years to construct is incomprehensible. The church currently hosts 90 masses a week and while we did not see one, we did see someone taking confession. Our guys confessed that they didn’t need to wait in line…We marveled at the red light that indicated where one of the world’s 11 crucifiction nails is kept. Folks took lunch at different places in the plaza. We ate at Maio, a restaurant on the seventh floor of the modern food court that overlooks the Duomo.
After lunch, we walked to Carlo’s old elementary school, Vittoria Colonna. We were greeted by many students and took seats on the stage of a meeting hall. The students sang the Star Spangled Banner for us, and they practiced their English by asking questions of the team. Following some gifts to our group, and the presentation of a cup that Carlo had won as a student there, we headed to the gym for a clinic for the kids. It was another fun time as the guys shared some of our drills and helped instruct the young children.
After many pictures, we boarded a bus for Lissone, stopping along the way for a quick mall trip. Unfortunately, I could not find Italian shoes in my size but had no problem finding a great espresso. We arrived at the match in Lissone, where we played their club’s U-19 team. This club team’s professional team is not as high a level as the first team we played. However, their U-19 team had good size and a quick point guard. We started slowly but led by 5 points at halftime, and won 73-63. Again, scrappy defense and good rebounding overcame sluggish shooting, although we improved our percentages from day one. With 14 players now in uniform, we got scoring from 13 of them, led by Andrew Donald’s 12 points and Kenny King’s 10 points. King, a fourth former from this past year’s 10-3 JV team, also got 6 rebounds. Trey Harry '11 had 8 points and 7 rebounds, and Nick Gore and Alex Herzing each added 8 points to the winning cause. Gore also grabbed 7 boards. Back to the hotel, where eggplant lasagna and steak awaited our hungry group.
The last morning of our trip started a little later than the others, and there were no complaints. Throughout the trip, we took turns standing at dinner and shared favorite and least favorite moments of the trip. There were very few complaints, but the boys were always looking for more sleep-ins. With so much to see and do, we are all glad that we motivated early most days. For today, departure to La Scuola de La Cucina Italiana was not until 10 a.m. After eating well at the breakfast buffet, we took the metro to the Cooking School. I was not sure how they would take to this last stop, but it had to be on the itinerary for my wife. The guys loved it, and were immediately into rolling cheese balls, making tuna mascarpone crostinis, and cutting bresaola and rolling them into cheese-filled finger foods. We watched Chef Umberto prepare risotto, and then dined on what we had made and many additions from the kitchen. Check out the pictures of the guys in their aprons!
Stuffed, we rolled back to the metro and on to Milanosport complex, where we would play our final two matches of the trip against the powerful club Armani Milano. Owned and funded by Georgio Armani, Carlo’s club is one of the strongest in Italy. Upon arriving at the stadium complex we had the chance to watch their pro team practice. The pro team competes in the top A1 league and has, among others, former U.S. college standouts Joey Beard (Boston University), Mo Taylor (Michigan), and David Hawkins (Temple).
At the stadium we met up with an Italian TV station that is doing a documentary on our trip. We’ll upload the documentary on-line if possible when we receive it. Our first game was against Armani’s U19 team. Hill fell behind early 10-2 but a strong second quarter had us up 42-33 at halftime. We extended the lead to 12 after three-quarters, and watched as seniors Ryan Deitrich, Nick Gore, Alex Herzing, and Mike Howell joined with Carlo Bettini to secure a tightly fought 65-63 victory. Deitrich’s free throws with 11 seconds remaining were the decisive shots and it was great to see this group of seniors successful together one last time. We tried to tire Carlo out as much as possible, as he would play in the following game for his U17 club team against the Hill’s other group. Obviously, we didn’t fatigue him enough as his U17 team scored an impressive victory over our younger Hill group, 80-65.
Highlights from games:
U19 game:
Five Hill players in double figures: Herzing (14), Deitrich (12), Gore (11), Heyliger (11), Howell (10)
Rebounds: Gore (13), Deitrich (12), Herzing (10), Howell (7)
Assists: Gore (5)
Steals: Gore and Howell, 4 each
U17 game:
After trailing 9-0, Hill led 18-15 after one quarter, but then fell behind 42-28 by halftime.
This Hill group struggled on the glass, but shot much better than previous games.
Scoring leaders: Trey Harry (19), Josh Heyliger (9), Alex Hoey (7)
Rebounds: Steve Sitko (10), Andrew Weis (9), Eric Nova (8), Trey Harry (8)
Assists: Heyliger and Harry, 4 each
Throughout the trip, we were very impressed with the physicality of the play, and with how hard the Italians worked. We noticed that they took a lot of three-pointers and in talking to Carlo’s old coach in Milan, the short shot clock makes it important to take the open shot whenever it is there. We thought the fundamentals and footwork and ability to score around the basket were strengths of the Italian teams. Overall, we found it to be a very special experience sharing our passion for basketball despite the language and cultural differences.
After the game, we headed back to our fancy digs, dressed up, and headed to a dinner party downtown hosted by the Bettinis at LeBuonecose Bistrot. Whereas many of our meals were three courses, this final feast had five courses: a traditional appetizer of prosciutto, mozzarella, and arugala; Risotto Milanese; tortellini Bolognese; filet and potatoes; and chocolate mousse for dessert. The guys did not go hungry! After dinner, many of the guys went to the discoteque, and some of us walked around the Duomo plaza, marveling at the gigantic cathedral brilliantly lit up.
An early rise for our flight home had us back on U.S. soil by 3 p.m. overflowing with special memories of Italian history, culture, language, and most importantly, wonderful people. We cannot wait to go back, and in the meantime, hope to have the opportunity to host our new friends when they visit our country. Thanks to everyone who helped make this experience of a lifetime possible!