We still owe you a wrap up of the stay in Como, which included a ballgame Monday night. The Panthers again found themselves in a nice little gym for the contest. It was actually located right in the middle of a residential area near the Milan Malpensa International Airport.
That game wasn't close on the court, as the Panthers cruised to a 117-61 victory. But, as is often the case overseas, the home team is just happy to have gotten the chance to play a team from the U.S.
Tuesday sent the Panthers on a tour of Lake Como. The boat tour took the team past all of the fabulous villas up and down the coast. The density of the housing is amazing, as in many of the spots where one villa went up, a lot went up. Some of the villas do have amazing privacy, but so many others are stacked one on top of another.
For many, the highlight of seeing the villas on the tour is the chance to see where some of the most famous people stay when visiting Como. George Clooney (top) and Richard Branson (bottom) are two regulars in the area.
The boat tour eventually took the Panthers to Bellagio, a famous village located along the shore of Lake Como. The village has some hotels and plenty of shopping.
The Panthers showed plenty of good teamwork on the court, but in Bellagio on Tuesday morning Tony Meier and Kyle Kelm team up to handle a big gelato cone.
One of the day's optional activities was a tram ride up one of the mountains for an overhead view of Como and the other communities surrounding the lake. I'm guessing if you have some issues with heights or don't like tight spaces, this trip up and down might not be for you.
Once up the tram, the views were great, just as you would expect. It was a combination of hazy and cloudy Tuesday, but you can still see the density of the city of Como tucked between some of the mountains.
In the end, I think most of the guys made the trip up to the top. Perhaps this group - including Tone Boyle, Ryan Haggerty, Chad Boudreau and Ronnie Jones - is reconsidering the trip down.
Tuesday's team dinner brought the Panthers yet another menu of unique food items. The antipasto included a great variety of meats, including a roast beef filled with creamy cheese. The four-cheese risotto was quite popular, and then chilled chicken and beef entrees followed. Fabio told everyone to be generous with the olive oil on the meat, and those that followed the instructions got the full flavor - literally - of these popular local dishes.
Fabio even got a cake for the guys for their final night on Como. Here he is with the team and the owner of the restaurant.
And so the Panthers' tour of Italy came to a close. What a fabulous 10 days it was, on and off the basketball court. We will be uploading more photos and a little more video for you over the next week or two, so be sure to check the Italy page of the main site for some of that. And, as I mentioned yesterday, I'll have final stats from the trip up shortly, as well.
