Beavers in Italy Day 2: Rome

The Oregon State women's basketball team met more historic sites and excitement Thursday, as they spent their second day in Rome as part of this summer's international tour of Italy.

The team took time to tour the Vatican in the morning, seeing spectacular works of art, including the Sistine Chapel and St. Peter's Cathedral, along with many other masterpieces.

“The Vatican was a great experience for us, because of all the history there,” senior Deven Hunter said. “The artwork by Michelangelo and others is really impressive, and it was a great to see all of it.”

“Seeing the Vatican today was amazing,” junior Kolbie Orum said. “To think that the Pope was just speaking there yesterday, it was a really cool experience for all of us.”

Following the extensive tour of the holy city, the Beavers enjoyed their afternoon with the “Amazing Race Challenge”, which pitted teammates against each other in a scavenger hunt. The groups of 3-4 had to complete tasks such as video-taping themselves climbing the Spanish Steps and eating gelato at the Pantheon. The winning team was made up of Sydney Wiese, Samantha Siegner and Tarea Green.

With two days now behind them, the Beavers are now looking forward to playing their first game of the summer tomorrow. The team will hit the road in the morning for a bus ride to Civitanova Marche, a coastal town located on the Adriatic Sea. Oregon State will take on Civitanova Marche Basket at 11:30 a.m. PT (8:30 p.m. local time).

And aside from the basketball coming up, the squad knows there are many good times ahead on this trip.

“I'm looking forward to seeing the culture changes as we move to different locations on this trip,” Orum said. “I think it's going to be a lot of fun to witness the differences as we move along.”

Following tomorrow's game in Civitinova Marche, the Beavers will also be heading to Florence, Siena and Venice, before making their return to Corvallis.