May 18 - Touring the Historic Sights of Rome (57 Photos)
May 19 - Game #1 - Villanova 66, Belize SRB Roma 39 (5 Photos)
May 20 - Historic Siena (16 Photos)
May 21 - Florence and Game #2 - Villanova 76, ASD Florence Basket 39 (15 Photos)
May 22 - Venice (11 Photos)
May 23 - Padua (9 Photos)
May 24 - Verona (21 Photos)
May 25 - Milan (13 Photos)
May 26 - Lake Como (25 Photos)

DAILY BLOG
The women's basketball team spent nine full days (May 18-26) touring the most famous sights of Italy, in addition to playing four games against local club teams. Villanova improved to 18-0 all-time in foreign play while traveling throughout the country, from Rome to Florence, Venice, Verona, Milan, Como and other cities. The links at the top of this release contain a photo gallery from each day of the trip. The blog below gives a daily account of the team's experiences. Start at the bottom of the page for the beginning of the blog, and read up for each day's entry.

Day 9 - Tuesday, May 26th - Como

It had to happen eventually... today was our last day in Italy. However we stood by the old adage to `save the best for last' and took a private boat tour through Lake Como to a town called Bellagio and it didn't disappoint. We arrived at the dock at 9:30am to meet our guide, Sarah, who described to us the incredible sights and history of the villas that surround the edge of the lake in Como. We saw mansions that belonged to Gianna Versace, George Clooney, the Rockfeller Foundation, Richard Branson, the Catholic Church and the wedding site of musician John Legend and supermodel Chrissy Tiegan just to name a few. Several of these villas have been used in the filming of major motion pictures including Ocean's 12, Star Wars and 007... you can imagine how gorgeous they were.

After the hour tour, we docked in Bellagio and had a quick 40 minutes to shop and see the sights of the sleepy village on the lake. Bellagio has some of the most fantastic views of the water, mountains and Alps that are simply indescribable as we looked across the water to Switzerland. What an incredible experience!

Following a quick shopping spree, we boarded the boat once again to return to Como city center where we had the afternoon free to shop, eat and explore the sights this amazing city had to offer. At 6:30pm we met for what would be our farewell dinner at a local restaurant and we were treated to a true Italian meal - several courses of food and an amazing cake to top it all off. Unfortunately this meant we had to say goodbye to our amazing guide who was with us the entire trip, Giancarlo. Giancarlo made this tour a once in a lifetime experience for our group and it was something that no one will be able to forget. You are patient, knowledgeable and just a great person to be around. THANK YOU!

Tomorrow we have a 5:30am wakeup call in time to make our 10:40am flight out of Milan and we'll be back in the states by 1:45pm on Wednesday. I think everyone has had the trip of a lifetime and I want to thank Coach Joe Mullaney, GA Pearl Mensah, the entire women's basketball staff as well as the Villanova administration and Italy Dream Tours for making this trip happen for our staff, student-athletes and families. THANK YOU!!!

Day 8 - Monday, May 25th - Milan and Game #4 vs. ASD Basket Costa

Today we took the hour drive south to the city of Milan, one of Europe's leading fashion and design centers. We arrived to the Milan Castle at 10:30am and took a short tour of the grounds which was home to some of the most prominent dukes and royalty in the 15th and 16th centuries. Milan was ruled by two families throughout its history, the Sforza and Visconti families, and the city still bears their coat of arms to this day. After our tour we took a 20 minute walk to the city Duomo and broke off to do some shopping and eating on our own - very typical day for us!

Game #4 vs. ASD Basket Costa

W, 75-36

We arrived back in Como at 3:30pm and the team had pregame meal at 4pm in prep for our game tonight vs. ASD Basket Milan. After a quick 20 minute drive we arrived at the gym and the Wildcats began warm-ups. Villanova came out strong in the first half and raced to a 24-12 lead after the first quarter and extended that lead to 42-16 at halftime. Kavunaa Edwards led the squad with 12 points via three jumpers and two from behind the arc, collected four rebounds and registered six steals at intermission.

Following the break, the Wildcats continued their strong defensive play and tallied a 57-28 lead after the third quarter and finalized the contest at 75-36 to remain perfect at 4-0 in the 2015 tour and 18-0 all-time in foreign tour play. Kendall Burton led the team with 13 points via three from long distance and two jumpers and added in an additional three rebounds for the contest.

VILLANOVA SCORERS

Kendall Burton - 13pts, 3 rebounds
Kavunaa Edwards - 12pts, 5 rebounds
Caroline Coyer - 11pts, 2-for-2 FT
Katherine Coyer - 11 pts, 5 rebounds
Alex Louin - 9pts, 2-for-2 FT, 7 rebounds
Karlie Crispin - 6pts
Jordan Dillard - 4pts, 2 rebounds
Megan Quinn - 4pts, 6 rebounds
Brandi Teague - 4pts, 4 rebounds
Samantha Wilkes - 1pt, 7 rebounds

DAY 7 - MAY 24TH - VERONA AND COMO

Happy Memorial Day Weekend Nova Nation! It's probably cliché to say at this point but it was another beautiful day in Italy. We packed up and checked out of our hotel in Padua around 9:40am and took an hour drive to the home of William Shakespeare's famous Romeo and Juliet - Verona. Verona is a much smaller town than what we've recently toured but it was absolutely gorgeous. It's home to the third largest arena in history (only the actual Coliseum in Rome can be called a Coliseum but it's the same idea) and it's as romantic as the classic love story describes.

We didn't have a formal tour of Verona but we got the chance to wander the streets for two hours. Everyone took the time to see Juliet's infamous balcony and the team wrote their names of their loved ones on her wall which is supposed to be a good luck for symbol their present and future love lives.

After our time was finished in Verona we loaded back on the bus for another three hour journey to northern Italy and the home of George Clooney - Lake Como. Let me tell you, Como is absolutely breathtaking and nothing like we've seen on the trip yet. The city is situated right next to the Switzerland border and the lake is surrounded by beautiful houses, villas and mountains. No wonder Amal said yes! We got off the bus for a quick orientation tour of the town square before we checked into our hotel and headed out to dinner on our own. We'll be in the Como area for the next three nights before our time in Italy comes to an end on Wednesday... and it's an amazing way to end our journey!

Tomorrow we are planning to take a tour of Milan (the girls are extremely excited to be in the international home of shopping and design) and we'll have our last game of our journey against ASD Basket Milan at 8pm local time (2pm ET).

We'll check in tomorrow... in the meantime, be sure to check out all our photos on social media and villanova.com!

DAY 6 - MAY 23RD - PADUA

We arrived at our hotel in Padua in the early evening last night and got the chance to have a relaxed dinner on our own. Thankfully our guide Giancarlo gave us a bit of a chance to sleep in this morning and our wakeup call was scheduled for 7:45am in time for a 9:30am departure to our next stop - Padua. We took a short 20 minute drive into to the center of town and met our guide for the morning, Caterina, who gave us a great tour of St. Anthony's Basilica. St. Anthony's is a historic church were many pilgrimage to see the relics and tomb of St. Anthony and take in mass that occurs every hour.

Following a brief walk through the cathedral that featured many sculptures by Donatello, we followed Caterina through the streets to the University of Padua which is home to more than 63,000 college students. Afterwards the group was given about 45 minutes to explore the small town on their own where many chose to shop, eat more gelato and grab coffee as well as roam through the market that housed hundreds of vendors. At 12:30pm we departed the town square and went back to the hotel for our pregame meal in preparation for tonight's game vs. Magika-Alfagomma Castel San Pietro.

Game #3 vs. Magika-Alfagomma Castel San Pietro

It took a little less than two hours to reach the gym where our game was slated to tipoff at 6:30pm. Magika-Alfagomma is considered the best team in the "A2" division of Italian Women's Basketball and just missed the cut to move to the highest division (A1). For those who are familiar with English Premier League Soccer, the Italian women's basketball league works just like relegation - the bottom teams from the top division move to the lower division and vice versa.

The Wildcats came out hot in the first quarter and connected on 11 shots from the field and three from behind the arc to take a 23-8 lead after 10 minutes of action. Despite the lead, Villanova struggled in the second quarter and was outscored 10-8 after a Magika three-pointer with four seconds left to make it 31-18 Wildcats at halftime. Kendall Burton led the way after 20 minutes of play with 10 points via two three's and a jumper.

Coming out of the locker rooms, Villanova fought to find their bearings after Magika came out strong to start the third quarter as the hosts raced to a 19-15 lead for the stanza. Caroline Coyer ended the period with a layup and went 2-for-2 from the stripe to push the `Cats to a 46-37 lead with 10 minutes to play. Villanova went on to outscore Magika 21-4 in the final 10 minutes of action and solidified a 67-41 win for the night to remain perfect at 17-0 all-time in foreign tour play and 3-0 on the 2015 trip.

Tomorrow we'll check out of our hotel in Padua and make our way to Como and Verona... land of George Clooney and Romeo and Juliet. Until then Nova Nation!

VILLANOVA SCORERS
Alex Louin - 16pts, 5-for-5 FT
Megan Quinn - 10pts
Kavunaa Edwards - 10pts
Kendall Burton - 10pts, 9 rebounds
Caroline Coyer - 9pts, 4-for-4 FT
Katherine Coyer - 4pts, 9 rebounds
Brandi Teague - 3pts
Karlie Crispin - 3pts
Jordan Dillard - 2pts

DAY 5 - MAY 22ND - VENICE

We're officially more than halfway through our tour today and the Wildcats had another great day in this awesome country. This morning we left our hotel in Montecatini at 8:30am and took the 3+ hour trip to Venice to spend the morning and afternoon. The weather has been chilly and rainy in the high 50's and low 60's but will hopefully be improving in the last few days of our trip according to our guide Giancarlo.

Everyone took the time on the road trip to sleep on the bus before we arrived in Venice this afternoon. We had the opportunity to take a roughly 30 minute boat ride into the main part of the city upon arriving to St. Mark's Square after departing our bus. Once we arrived we were able to enjoy a couple of hours on our own to discover the beautiful city and discover it's many narrow side streets, shops and eateries.

At around 2:45pm we met with our tour guide, Efie, who took us through the St. Mark's Cathedral which was one of the most gorgeous we've seen yet. The church was gilded in gold and featured amazing tile and marble artwork on both the ceilings and grounds. Unfortunately we weren't able to take pictures but I'm sure it's something the girls won't soon forget. After the duomo tour, Efie gave us a tour through the streets of Venice and showed us a glimpse of how the Venetians live their day to day lives which include water taxis, one hospital and navigating many circular and narrow streets. It's truly something that is incredible to see firsthand.

We bid farewell to Efie at 4:20pm and made our way to a famed glass company where we saw a master glassblower handcraft a few trinkets for our entertainment as we received a brief history of the art. Artistic glass pieces are one of the main exports of Venice and it truly is an art form that's amazing to see created in person. The group was given time to shop in the factory before breaking out our on own again to end the day. We got our last taste of Venice leaving the town via water taxi through the famed Grand Canal to board our bus and head to our new hotel in Padua for the next two nights.

We'll have a bit of free time tonight and tomorrow morning before playing in our third friendly of the tour at 6:30pm tomorrow night against Magika-Alfagomma Castel San Pietro.

DAY 4 - MAY 21ST - FLORENCE

Ciao bella! Today was another day full of walking, culture and breathtaking views as we traveled a little over an hour to Florence this morning. Today was the first rainy day of the tour and it was slightly chilly in the low to mid-60's.

The Wildcats had breakfast at the hotel and were on the bus at 8:30am as we took the hour drive to the home of Michelangelo. When we got to the city we met with our tour guide, Paola, who took us on a brief tour of the streets as we made our way to the Cattedrale di Santa Maria del Fiore... a gorgeous cathedral with very colorful sculptures and siding that was built without wooden supports. We saw several sculptures and frescos throughout the streets that seem to be a trademark of Italy in general - absolutely beautiful! The guided highlight of the day was our visit to the Accademia Gallery where Michelangelo's famed David lies. The sculpture was surprisingly large - it stands at over 16 feet in height and was completed when the famed artist was just 26 years old.

After our visit to David's home, the group was given free time to shop and wander the streets for lunch and more sightseeing. Florence is apparently known for their leather goods and is a very international city with many shops Americans would be familiar with (Michael Kors, Fossil, H&M, etc.). Katherine and Caroline Coyer win "bargain of the day" for negotiating nearly 300 Euro off a leather jacket that they plan on sharing. Great work girls.

Tomorrow morning we'll depart our hotel in Montecatini and head to Venice where we'll spend the next two nights and take a trip through the Grand Canal through their famed water ways.

Game #2 vs. ASD Florence Basket

We departed at 5pm for our second game of the tour against ASD Florence Basket and arrived at the Palestra (not Penn's...) at 6pm in time to stretch and warmup. The Wildcats once again got off to a quick start with Caroline Coyer tallying eight points in the opening 6:51 to give Villanova a 12-6 lead. ASD Florence Basket came back with 3:42 left in the first quarter to make it 16-14 before Katherine Coyer went 2-of-2 from the free throw line to increase the VU lead to 18-14. Megan Quinn came out strong in the second period and registered nine points in the final 4:19 of the half to pull away 50-23 at intermission.

Coming out of halftime, Jordan Dillard began the Wildcats scoring streak and put in three layups to start the half for six points to increase the lead to 56-23. Despite the run, Villanova went on a 7:24 scoring drought to bridge the third and fourth quarters before an Alex Louin layup broke the gap with 7:06 left to play in the contest as VU pulled ahead 69-27. Villanova finished with a 76-39 win to improve to 2-0 on the 2015 tour and moved to 16-0 all-time in foreign action. Caroline Coyer led all scorers with 18 points while Kavunaa Edwards registered seven points and 11 rebounds.

VILLANOVA SCORERS

Caroline Coyer - 18pts
Megan Quinn - 17pts
Brandi Teague - 10pts
Jordan Dillard - 9pts
Kavunaa Edwards - 7pts, 11 rebounds
Kendall Burton - 6pts, 2-of-2 FT
Alex Louin - 5pts
Katherine Coyer - 4pts, 2-of-2 FT

DAY 3 - MAY 20TH - SIENA/MONTECATINI

After a late game and arrival last night to our hotel, the group was given a bit of time to sleep in this morning before we checked out of the hotel and departed for our next destination. We traveled about three hours to a small town in the Tuscany region called Siena and got a true taste of Italian culture with our visit. En route to Siena, we stopped at an Italian rest stop off the freeway to grab a quick lunch so we could reach our tour on time. Highway food is definitely not the same as it is in the States - if you want coffee you better plan on drinking it at the espresso station because to-go cups are non-existent!

We arrived in Siena and met our tour guide, Roberta, who led us through the steep cobblestone streets of the town. We got to take a look at St. Katherine's of Siena church which featured beautiful stained glass windows before making our way through the town square. Siena is definitely more of a true sense of what Italy is really like as opposed to the very international city of Rome. We saw the main Palio square where the famed horse races take place every year and were given free time to shop and discover the side streets which featured both boutique shops and internationally known stores (i.e. Foot Locker). There were several cathedrals in the area and we also got a chance to see the oldest bank in Europe which was established in 1492... just a couple hundred years old.

Following our tour of Siena, we hopped back on the bus (after hundreds of selfies were taken by the team) for another two hours to check into our hotel in Montecatini Terme. Tomorrow we'll tour Florence and play our second game of the tour against ASD Florence Basket at 7 p.m. local time (1pm ET).

Be sure to check our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages for updates as well as www.villanova.com for pictures and updates of the trip!

DAY 2 - MAY 19TH - ROME/VATICAN CITY

Rise and shine Nova Nation - the Wildcats had a 6:30am local (12:30pm ET) wakeup call for our appointment with the Vatican this morning and the tour did not disappoint. Following a team breakfast at the hotel, we boarded the bus for a 20 minute drive through the streets of Rome to the independent city-state where the Vatican lies. As one of the most popular sightseeing destinations in Italy and the world, thousands of people were lining the streets as they waited for tickets to enter the famed museums. Lucky for us we got to skip the lines and met Lucia our tour guide outside the heavily populated area.

For those who haven't gotten to visit the papal residence it truly is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Countless pieces of infamous artworks, sculptures and artifacts lie within the grounds of the Holy See's residence and it was absolutely breathtaking to ingest the history and culture of the grounds. The team was able to see the Sistine Chapel, St. Peter's Basilica, St. Peter's Square and the museums of the Vatican all while taking in a crash course of art and religious history. It also gave us a taste of what awaits this September when the Pope comes to visit Philadelphia.

Following the Vatican, we were given time to shop for souvenirs and took a 30 minute walk back into the streets of Rome where we landed in Piazza Navona for lunch and sightseeing. Some of the group branched out to see the Pantheon while others took the time to shop. At about 3:30pm, everyone was ready to head back to the hotel to prep for tonight's game vs. Belize SRB Roma.

The Wildcats arrived at our game location about an hour and fifteen minutes outside of Rome and began warm-ups at 7:45pm. Following introductions which included a fun Italian take on the girls names, the Wildcats got out to a quick start and began the game on a 10-5 run. Villanova broke away for the contest with three minutes left in the second quarter when Alex Louin connected on 7-of-8 free throw attempts to make it 29-11 to close the first half of action.

Another 10-5 run to begin the third quarter increased the lead to 47-21 with 2:13 remaining on the clock on the third quarter. Kavunaa Edwards led the way in the second stanza with four jumpers and connected from behind the arc for 11 points as she registered 16 points and 15 rebounds total for the contest. Villanova tallied a 66-39 win to remain perfect in foreign play at 15-0 all-time. After the contest, the girls took pictures with some of those in attendance (Caroline Coyer and Emily Leer were fan favorites) and Belize SRB Roma were gracious hosts as they provided snacks and refreshments after the game.

Tomorrow we'll depart on a three hour bus ride to Montecatini Terme in Tuscany, the region of the Green Valley's. Until then!

GAME 1: VILLANOVA 66, Belize SRB Roma 39

VILLANOVA SCORERS
Kavunaa Edwards - 16pts, 15 rebounds
Megan Quinn - 9pts
Jordan Dillard - 8pts
Brandi Teague - 8pts
Caroline Coyer - 7pts
Alex Louin - 7pts, 7-of-8 FT
Karlie Crispin - 6pts
Kendall Burton - 3pts
Samantha Wilkes - 2pts

DAY 1 - MAY 18TH - ROME

Ciao! The Wildcats have safely arrived in Rome after a seven and a half hour flight from Newark to Rome where the team, family and staff members enjoyed many of the free movies dinner and breakfast that was served while on board... thanks United! Once we arrived at Leonardo da Vinci-Fiumicino Airport, the group waited for what seemed like hours to go through passport services and collect our luggage. Oddly enough, we saw some other Villanovan's from the cheerleading and volleyball team who were traveling and studying abroad for the semester... small world!

We also had our first chance to see the beautiful sights of Rome when we met our tour guide, Giancarlo, and bus driver, Nikola, who helped us navigate the crowded and busy streets of the city. Our first stop was at the infamous Coliseum where we were treated to a personalized tour of the remarkable grounds. Many of the girls opted to make their first purchase of the trip at this point and bought selfie sticks, which I have no doubt will serve them well during this 10-day adventure. The grounds of the Coliseum are breathtaking and it was incredibly humbling to soak in the historic nature of the landmark. The government has made it a priority to deep-clean the outside of the façade for the first time in its ancient history and there is scaffolding along a majority of the outside of the building. Nonetheless, it was a great way for us to kick off our trip here in Italy.

Following the Coliseum we got to see the sights of Rome via bus and took in the historic nature of the bustling city. Our next stop was the Piazza del Popolo (People's Square) where the group got to enjoy two hours of free time to shop, sightsee and most importantly... EAT! Piazza del Popolo was a great introduction to the culture of the nation and features many high end boutiques, outdoor eateries and cobblestone side streets that are very quintessentially Roman. From this area many took the time to see the famed Spanish Steps while others did some shopping. Following the two hour exploration, we met back with the group and finally checked in to our hotel where we got some much needed rest after a long couple of days traveling.

Tomorrow is another busy day with a 6:30am wake-up call before we tour the Vatican, the Vatican museums and St. Peter's Basilica. We'll also have our first game of the tour tomorrow (Tuesday) night at 8:30pm against Belize SRB Roma. Until then, arrivederci!