The Union College field hockey team is getting their preseason started a little early with a team trip to Italy! Check back here every day as team members give us an inside look of the sights, sounds and foods of the country - all while playing some field hockey too! Also, head to the Union Field Hockey Instagram account for more posts and stories of the team's daily adventures!

Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Photo Gallery

Day 7 - August 17, 2022

Ciao from Italy! My name is Ali Barrett and I'm a rising junior on the team. We definitely ended our last day in Italy with a bang!

Today began with a 7:00am breakfast at our chic and contemporary hotel just outside of Milan. The reason behind our ambitious wakeup time this morning lay in our impending adventure to the beguiling Lake Como! After an hour bus ride, we arrived at the ferry and were immediately in awe of the view. I think I can speak for everyone when I say that, before we even got on the boat, we knew we were in for one of the most spectacular experiences of our trip. Most of us, including myself, climbed the stairs to the top deck where we spent the duration of our two-hour ride through the crystal clear waters of the lake. The sheer beauty of our surroundings, to say the least, stunned me and the rest of my teammates. As we made stops along the way to our final destination, we saw locals watering their flowers outside their blush-pink painted villas with sea foam green shutters, while congregations of friends and families piled on small wooden boats to listen to music and enjoy each other's company. 

Throughout our trip, the work of geniuses like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci became commonplace in our discussions of Italy's beauty. What we experienced today, however, was an entirely different facet of beauty that we had yet to encounter in its full effect. Collections of vibrantly green mountains emerged from the water, mirroring the edges and slopes of the Cathedrals and obelisks that litter each and every city we visited. 

We arrived in Bellagio, a small village jetting out into the lake, at around 11:00am. By the first step off of the boat ramp, the winding cobbled streets and quaint boutiques came clear into view. A couple of my teammates and I sat down for lunch at a pizza and coffee restaurant, making sure to face the street so we could people-watch — an activity that became especially interesting to us in new places. After finishing one of the most delicious pizzas I'd ever had, we headed towards the shops, which were already in view given the small-scale nature of the town. Many of us ended up purchasing items from a silk store, home to some of the most elegant ties, gloves, and scarves (sorry if I'm ruining the surprise of anyone's gifts!) that I've seen, even compared to the designer shops in Milan. 

After a passionate phone call with my mother explaining why we should sell our house and move to Bellagio permanently, we arrived back to Como. With an hour to kill before our bus ride back, we decided that one last taste of gelato was a must. After fending off some ornery and unrelenting pigeons — who I may or may not have instigated by regrettably offering a piece of bread — we were on our way back to the hotel. Once we dropped off our purchases from the day, we walked to our final dinner in Italy. After getting to the bottom of our baskets of warm focaccia, we were served a decadent meal of layered eggplant parmesan, followed by pork topped with a creamy tomato sauce, finishing with a mixed berry cheesecake. 

As I write this from my hotel room, I can't help but reminisce on the memories I made on this trip, and furthermore, can't think of a more perfect day to seal those memories in my mind. I want to thank our wonderful coaches and tour guides, as well as all of our donors for making this trip possible. Every person on this team is beyond grateful for this experience and is raring and ready to go for pre-season!

GO U!!!!

Day 6 - August 16, 2022

Ciao from Milan! I'm Eliza Munns, a rising senior on the team.

We started our morning in Sesto San Giovanni with breakfast at our hotel before driving into the city center. We met our guide, Giardo, for a walking tour of the sights. Beginning at Castello Sforzesco, we learned about the Sforza family and the construction of the medieval fortress/castle. I especially enjoyed seeing the architectural details in the walls that were designed to defend against invading armies.

Next on our tour, we visited the exterior of the Teatro alla Scala, one of the most famous opera houses in the world. We learned about the specific design of the theater to create the perfect acoustics. We also heard the story of how Arturo Toscanini made it possible for all people to be able to enjoy shows at the prestigious theater. While on the tour, I also learned more about Leonardo Da Vinci, who spent some of his adult life living in Milan.

We ended our tour at the Duomo di Milano. Its beautiful, gothic architecture made of marble took over six centuries to complete! A quick trip to view the inside of the cathedral was followed by a team lunch around the corner from the Piazza Del Duomo, where we enjoyed bruschetta and sausage pasta. After lunch, the team set off for some shopping in the fashion capital of the world!

After exploring the city on our own and grabbing some gelato, we hopped on a bus and headed for our last practice of the trip. Our bus dropped us off in Castello d'Agogna at the ASD Paolo Bonomi Hockey Club. They had an amazing Astroturf field, and we ended the day with a beautiful sunset over the field.

 
Day 5 - August 15, 2022

Ciao! Im Grace Goddard, a rising sophomore, and I'm writing to you from our spacious hotel room in Milan.

Today we started our morning off strong with breakfast from the hotel we stayed at the previous night in Florence. This breakfast was a quick fuel for the long day of traveling we had ahead of us. At 10am we got on the bus and started our travels to Pisa. We made a stop on the way at the Florence American Cemetery and Memorial for the fallen soldiers that fought for the United States in World War II. This site was especially beautiful, with all of the white headstones pointing in the direction of the U.S. We walked around the headstones thanking each soldier for their duty. After this we hopped on our bus back and started heading towards Pisa.

Hopping off the bus, we did a quick walk into the Pisa Square, where you could see the beautiful tower leaning aggressively to the right. After a few iconic photos standing next to the tower with our hands out pretending to push it, we headed on our own for lunch. I ended up eating at this local restaurant near the square and got pesto gnocchi. After lunch we continued to shop around for trinkets to bring to our family back home, and then headed together to the bus and head to next destination: Milan.

After the long four-hour bus ride, we arrived at our hotel in Milan and immediately put down our bags to go out to a local restaurant for dinner. We ended up having two very traditional Italian dishes, Capicola and fried Mediterranean fish. We ended our night with full stomachs and exciting anticipation for tomorrow's day!



Day 4 - August 14, 2022

Hi UCFH friends and family! My name is Isabel Lubin and I'm a rising senior. Today was day four of our eight day journey through Italy and we traveled to Florence from Rome.

We started our morning at 7:30am with a team run to a scenic park. Along the way we were able to see some typical Italian apartments, locals walking their dogs, and pretty open fields. Next, we enjoyed one last breakfast and round of cappuccinos at our hotel, followed by saying goodbye to the hotel cat we affectionately decided to name "TT". We packed our bags, said "ciao" to Rome, and met our tour guide, Stefano, to begin the trip to Florence.

Along the way we saw some beautiful farmlands with grazing animals, visited a rest stop with unique Italian snacks, and planned out where we wanted to visit in Florence during our free time. Lungarno della Zecca Vecchia was our first stop once we arrived in Florence. Next, we decided to do some jewelry shopping at the Ponte Vecchio and the "Gold Corner", which is a collection of smaller gold workshops. For lunch we found a sandwich shop called "I Fratellini" which was established in 1875.

After lunch we met up for a walking tour of some of the most famous places in the historical center. We saw Il Duomo, St. Giovanni Basilica, St. Maria di Fiore, and many more beautiful buildings of different architectural styles that once housed aristocratic families. These buildings have since been converted into designer shops, including the first ever Gucci store that was constructed in 1921!

We finished our Florence tour with gelato from Venchi and hopped on the bus for a ride to our hotel in Montecatini. For dinner we had yummy antipasto and pizza at a restaurant near our hotel to end a great day!
 

Day 3 - August 13, 2022
Hey guys! My name is Ella Brinkley and I'm a rising junior! Today was our last day in Rome and it was such a good way to close out our visit!

We left our hotel at 11am and headed to the Rome city center, where we had a few hours of free time to explore the city ourselves. We arrived in the city and stopped at a coffee shop to get a quick pick-me-up for the day ahead of us! After, a group of 10 of us took a trip to a famous restaurant we found on Tik Tok called "Osteria Da Fortunata". Sophie, Haley, and I shared burrata as an appetizer and I got cacio e pepe for my lunch and it was actually the best pasta i have ever had. The hospitality in the restaurant was so great and there were 2 Italian women in the windows making pasta, which was so cute. I highly recommend it if you ever find yourself in Rome.

After that, we headed to Vatican City. First, we visited St. Peter's Basilica, which left all of us speechless; the detail in the architecture was absolutely beautiful. Then we had our tour of the Vatican museums, which ended with the Sistine Chapel. The Sistine Chapel was so interesting to learn about and in one of the paintings on the ceiling, there was a person wearing a white robe with a red U on it, which we thought was funny. We ended our day with a dinner at Taverna da Lino with our whole group!

We had such a great time in Rome and we are so excited to travel to Florence tomorrow!  



Day 2 - August 12, 2022
Hi Union Field hockey fans! My name is Grace Krebs, a rising junior on the team. Today was an action packed day in Rome.

We began the day with an 8am wake up call for breakfast in the Urban Garden hotel. I think I'm speaking for everyone on the team when I say the jet lag kicked in just about then! But we did enjoy the authentic pastries and morning coffee nonetheless. Once we wrapped up breakfast we hit the road for the central city of Rome. There we met Rosanna, our tour guide for the afternoon. Our first stop was the Colosseum. As we walked through the remains of the stadium, Rosanna explained the rich history that is housed within the walls of the ancient building. We stood in the exact spot gladiators entered the arena to fight. Although entertainment has changed drastically in modern times, there are a lot of similarities between the drive and fitness in a gladiator and a modern-day athlete. After the Colosseum, we explored the Roman Forum, which was filled with ancient Roman architecture and baths. Rosanna shared that during the reign of the Roman Empire the emperor lived in an estate which was two times the size of Vatican City!

Once we said goodbye to Rosanna, we went to lunch downtown where we were served fresh burrata, veal topped with prosciutto, and a moist chocolate cake for dessert.

After we wrapped up lunch, we had about two and a half hours to walk through Rome and really get a taste of the city. We went to the Pantheon, a current Catholic Church where many important Italian figures are buried. Additionally, we saw the Piazza di Spagna, or in English, the Spanish Steps. At the foot of these three-story stairs is the Barcaccia, a fountain that sprays drinkable water - and in the 90-degree weather, we took advantage of that! Finally before our final meeting time, we stopped at the Trevi Fountain, where we took part in a popular tradition of the city by throwing coins into the fountain for wishes to return to Rome again.

Once it was time to leave the city center, we boarded our bus to head to the Tevere Eur Hockey Club Stadium. We brought our game-day traditions abroad and of course had our pregame locker room party. Once we were prepped for opening whistle, it was game time. It was an amazing opportunity to play the Italian players. Lucky for me, I studied Italian for six years and am pretty fluent in the language, so I was able to make a special connection with the locals and practice what I've learned over the years. This trip is also very sentimental for me because my family is very passionate about our Italian heritage and Italy has been a place I have hoped to travel to for my entire life. Finally that dream is coming true!


Day 1 - August 11, 2022
Ciao from Italy! Assistant coach Alicia Aragosa here ready to tell you all about our first day of travel, our field hockey clinic, and prepare you all for what's in store. As I write this we are heading back to the hotel from our field hockey clinic, getting ready for our first Italian dinner! 

The girls arrived at Newark on August 10 for our travel day. We had smooth travels through Lisbon and caught our connecting flight to Rome. Our tour guide Stefano greeted us upon arrival where our bus and bus driver Evan were waiting. We headed to our hotel, just outside the heart of Rome, to rest and recover before our first field hockey clinic. We visited a local pizza shop and market to stock up on food and the girls rested up to play.  While the girls rested, the coaches took a walk to a nearby park to see what the area had to offer. 

We then transferred to the field hockey club - Tevere Eur Hockey Club - the location where the local Italian field hockey players practice and compete. Upon arrival we were greeted by the President of the field hockey club, Madelon and our coach for the evening, Luca. The clinic was fast-paced and fun. Thank you Tevere Eur Hockey Club!

Tonight we will enjoy our first of many Italian dinners and look forward to what's in store. On this trip we will travel from Rome to Florence to Pisa to Milan and finish our trip at Lake Como and Bellagio. Tomorrow we will take a walking tour of the ancient ruins in Rome's city center and compete in our field hockey match against local players from the Italian Tevere Eur Hockey Club. 

Follow along tomorrow as the players will take over from here! Ciao for now!