Como And Then Home

The Panthers have returned to Milwaukee, with an extremely long travel day wrapping up at the Pavilion about 5 p.m. Milwaukee time. The team actually left the hotel in Como at 4 a.m. Italy time, with a 6:45 flight from Milan to Rome followed by the 10-hour flight home to O'Hare. Throw in the bus ride back, and the Panthers were in transit for a good 20 hours today. Everyone should sleep well tonight.

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.

A Quick Goodbye

I will post a full report with pictures on our day in Como once we return to the States, but as we pack our bags and get ready to leave for the airport in a few hours, I did want to check in with just a couple of things.

First, the day is Como was very nice. Everyone enjoyed the boat tour and a free afternoon to see the city. It seemed most of the guys were busy trying to wrap up some final souvenir shopping, and many were found wandering around with one last pizza or gelato cone.

There was also one last team dinner tonight. Fabio actually said this was one of his favorite restaurants and the food did not disappoint. He made sure the menu was different every time, and was representative of the area we were in. This time, there were cold chicken and beef entrees, plus salad, antipasto and cheese risotto. Again, it seemed popular. And the restaurant even made a special cake with a Panther logo on it to help us wrap up our trip to Italy.

Finally, the team gave Fabio a special gift for his efforts - an autographed pair of size 18 shoes courtesy of Mitchell Carter. Cool, cool idea by the guys, and we were all happy to sign. A big thumbs up to Fabio, who just might have been convinced to come and visit Milwaukee this year.



For now, thanks for following during this trip. But again, check back later this week for a full travelogue from Como. And, I'll be uploading a ton of pictures from the trip once we are back, and I'll post some photo galleries. I should also have some final overall and game stats to add to the website, too, so look for those. And, it will be November before we know it.

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A Day In Venice

Sunday's day of touring sent the Panthers into Venice, another of those once-in-a-lifetime spots. It was well worth the three-hour postgame drive Saturday, and with touring starting at 11 am there was a little extra time for everyone to get some rest.

There's only one way into Venice, and that is by boat. So, our bus dropped us at the terminal and off we went to our watercraft to take us into Venice. While this part of the trip isn't intended to be a scenic tour, there was no shortage of sites to see as we toured our way in. That had all of the guys gazing outward to get their views and pictures.



Our trip over on the boat also provided the perfect opportunity to give you a face to put to the oft-referred-to name ... Fabio. When he is talking to us on the bus, it's hard to get a good shot. And, when we are touring around, he is often in the background trying to make sure no one gets lost. But on the boat over, Fabio took the mic to tell us all about what we would be seeing, and thus we got the perfect shot.



There's always time for a team photo on these stops, this time right along the waterfront as we get the day underway.



One of the first things we did as a full group was to get a glass blowing demonstration, as Venice is well known for its glass. The demonstration was truly remarkable, with the whole process of creating a glass statue taking mere moments. As you can see, the team was mesmerized by the process. Admittedly most everything in the store was a little pricey for this group, but it was very kind of them to let us see the demonstration.



There was also a full group walking tour of the main square and Cathedral. But there was also plenty of time for wandering. Of course, Venice means boats and canals.





Some of the players also decided to use some of their time to ride one of the famous gondolas. But we didn't let them take the first boat so we could get this picture of them waiting patiently. (And see Fabio hanging in the background so no one is left behind).



The team also enjoyed dinner along the water in Venice. The menu was seafood this time, appropriate for the region. The seafood salad included octopus, and it seemed like most everyone tried it. The seafood risotto was a favorite. And, how can you go wrong with fried shrimp and fried calamari?



After dinner was complete, it was time to head back to the bus. So, yes, it meant another boat ride. This time, everyone loaded into three water taxis to get the true scenic ride back out the main canal. This 30-40 minute ride was the perfect way to wrap up the day.



Monday led the Panthers back on the road, this time with a rather lengthy four-hour drive from Venice to Como via Milan. There was another snack and restroom stop at the AutoGrill, and the movie choice was Alexander The Great. But I think sleep was in order for some of the trip, too, knowing a game awaited.

There was some time in Como Monday afternoon for eating and wandering, but the main day of touring comes Tuesday. There's a boat tour, a stop at Bellagio and then an afternoon for everyone to explore on their own. The final team meal of the trip is also tomorrow night, and the trip home begins very, very early Wednesday morning.

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