Day 7 - Milan & USA vs Italy Game

 I can't believe that today is our last day! What a week it has been - quite the whirlwind but above and beyond what I ever could have imagined! American Football Worldwide has been amazing and this whole trip has gone off without a hitch!

We got up early and had breakfast at the hotel. The boys did a final walkthrough since today is game day - and we packed up into the bus to take us to Milan. We met our tour guide and did a relatively short walking tour of the city. We started at the Galleria and walked through the city to the old castle. I was really surprised how much I loved Milan! It is a beautiful city with a lot of modern attributes that don't seem to push out the history or ancient buildings. It didn't seem as crowded as Rome or Florence - but that was probably due to it being the day before Easter!

We had a great tour of the castle - I had never even heard of it before so it was a very welcome a pleasant surprise. It was enormous - more like a huge walled courtyard and it was in really good condition. The Italians defiantly do a great job of keeping their tourist attractions in great condition. After the Castle, we walked to a local restaurant for lunch. We had pasta and meat and fruit for dessert. Every meal is HUGE and takes forever.  It's one thing that I don't love about Italy - don't get me wrong - I love a good meal but it seems a bit excessive to spend 2 hours at EVERY SINGLE MEAL!

After lunch we took the bus over to the stadium for the USA vs Italy game! The boys have been preparing all week and were a bit anxious before the game as they didn't know what to expect from the other team. Once the game started it became obvious pretty quickly that the USA team was head and shoulders above the Italian team. It was a good game though - with some competitive moments.  The Italian team did score and managed to get an interception. Team USA ended up overpowering Italy and we won - 53-13. We took a lot of after game photos and packed up and headed out to a huge pizza restaurant for a celebratory dinner and cake!

Can't believe we have to leave tomorrow - it's been a fantastic week!

Photos from the Game: https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/USA-vs-Italy/

Photos of Milan: https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-7-Milan/

Here is the game summary that was written by head coach Jim Barnes:

AFW ELITE TEAM STEPS UP IN ITALY

DEFEATS ITALIAN NATIONAL 21U TEAM 53-13

 

American Football Worldwide’s HS Select ELITE TEAM met the challenge in defeating a national team from Italy comprised of players 21 years of age and younger from American Football clubs from throughout the host country.  The game was played April 8^th on a brilliant Italian spring afternoon in Milan Italy’s renowned Vigorelli Stadium in front of a fun, spirited crowd of Italian American Football fans and family members and fans who supported the USA team; many of whom had traveled to the overseas game.  The USA representative team prevailed 53-13.

 

AFW’s ELITE TEAM kicked-off to start the game and the defense set the tone.  After a 15-yard penalty gave the Italian team a first down, the AFW defense earned the first of four consecutive three-and-outs; not allowing Italian team offense to get untracked early.  When the AFW’s ELITE TEAM gained possession, quarterback Vincent Ferrara (Wellesley HS, MA), completed his first two passes for 1^st downs and then Angelo LaRose (Worcester South HS, MA) rambled 36 yards to the Italy 8-yard line.  Four plays later LaRose capped off the 68-yard drive by powering in behind the blocks of Caleb Porter (Plymouth HS, OH) and Caleb Garrison (American Leadership Academy, AZ) from the 1-yard line and after the extra-point the USA-representative team lead 7-0.

 

The AFW defense proved to be too stout and with Raiden Gonzales (Poway HS, CA) and Aiden Cullinan (The Potomac School, MD) contributing a tackle-for-loss the Italian ‘Blue Team’ was forced to punt.  Starting at their own 42-yard line on their, second play from scrimmage Ferrara went deep to Chris White (Lincoln HS, San Diego, CA) who made a sensational catch over the back of the defender to haul in a 43-yard reception putting the ball at Italy’s 15-yard line.  Moments later LaRose went in for his second score this time from 2 yards out and the USA went up 14-0.

 

On Italy’s third drive Nate Dlugos (Greensburg Central Catholic HS, Irwin, PA) made a key 3^rd down pass break-up and forced Italy to punt.  Jack Ryan (Mission Bay HS, CA) contributed a 10-yard punt return and with a 15-yard personal foul tacked on the AFW ELITE TEAM started in Italy territory.  A double pass with Ethan Silber (Mission Bay HS, CA) catching the lateral pass then completing the ball downfield to Armando Melendez (Red Bank Catholic HS, NJ) put the USA team on Italy’s 16-yard line.  As the game moved to the 2^nd quarter the Italian defense stiffened and AFW ELITE TEAM had to settle for a 32-yard field goal from Adrian Guerrero (Willowbrook HS, IL), who also tacked on six extra-points on the day.  The USA lead increased to 17-0.

 

An ill-advised decision to return the subsequent kickoff put Italy in a hole starting their next drive on their own 5-yard line.  USA’s Gianluca Saracino (Canterbury School, FL) had two stops at the LOS and Chandler Stevens (Highland HS, OH) had contributed a tackle-for-loss forcing 4^th down when Italy’s punter stepped on the endline coming down from fielding a high snap.  The safety gave the American team 2-points increasing their lead to 19-0.

 

On the subsequent USA possession, the Italian defense came up with another stop.  With the ball on their own 31-yard line, an interception on 4^th down turned the ball over to their offense.  Gaining some much-needed momentum the Italy offense hit on a series of short completions producing 1^st downs and for the first time moving into AFW ELITE TEAMterritory.  After converting a key 4^th down sneak, Italy found a seam for a 39-yard touchdown pass.  The 2-point conversion attempt failed, but late in the 2^nd quarter Italy had closed the gap to 19-6.

 

However, USA’s AFW ELITE TEAM displayed its skill in executing a textbook 2-minute drill.  Starting at their own 10 after a penalty, Vincent Ferrara and the offense went back to work.  Around a couple of LaRose runs and completions to Braeden Belanger (American Leadership Academy, AZ) who had seven catches on the day, Vincent Ferrara connected with his brother Xavier Ferrara (Wellesley HS, MA) putting the AFW ELITE TEAM into Italy territory.  From the Italy 30-yard line the brother duo connected again for a touchdown strike that with the extra-point pushed the margin out to 26-6 in favor of the USA team at the half.

 

Italy started the second half with a spark as they produced a fumble on the ELITE TEAM kick-off return.  However, with field position starting at the USA 24-yard line the Italian 21U ‘Blue Team’ could not capitalize and after Damian Banaszewski (Willowbrook HS, IL) produced a 3-yard tackle-for-loss on 3^rd a 4^th down incompletion put the ball back in the USA team’s possession.

 

Taking over at their own 24-yard line, ELITE TEAM’s Angelo LaRose went back to work behind the offensive line and blocks by Tim Anderson (Delbarton School, NJ), Cody Going (Mission Viejo, CA), Eddie Valdes (Harlem HS, IL) and Sean McCarthy (Delbarton HS, NJ) putting the ball past mid-field.  Once again, the Ferrara brothers hooked up for a 33 yard completion placing the ball at Italy’s 20-yard line.  A 17-yard completion to Belanger put the ball at the Italy three. Two plays later Vincent Ferrara took it in from the one and after another Guerrero extra point the AFW ELITE TEAMconfirmed they would not allow a comeback pushing the score to 33-6.

 

On the next series Italy was put in a hole with Jimmy Degnan’s (Willowbrook HS, IL) tackle-for-a-loss.  Seeking to go deep on 3^rd down AFW’s Chris White was in position intercepting the ball at the USA 43 and dynamically returning it 53 yards to Italy’s 4-yard line.  Three plays later it was Nick Washington (Friendship Collegiate Academy, Washington DC) throwing a two-yard touchdown pass to Xavier Ferrara making the score 40-6 at the end of the 3^rd quarter.  

 

On Italy’s next series, after a 1^st down brought the ball near mid-field this time it was Ethan Silber (Mission Bay HS, CA) on the interception tacking on a 20-yard return.  A penalty on Italy oved the ball to Italy’s 29-yard line where on the first play LaRose, named the game’s MVP, took it in from there to put AFW’s lead at 47-6.  

 

However, on their next drive Italy scored again when after a 1^st down a tipped ball went into the hands of an Italy receiver just behind the defense who with only green in front of him converted a fortunate 66-yard TD pass.  Italy’s extra point made the score 47-13.

 

On the USA’s next and final drive, after an errant snap led to a 31-yard loss, on 2^nd & 46 Ferrara remarkably hooked up with Ethan Silber for a 75-yard touchdown pass that made the final score at 53-13.

 

Post-game handshakes and social time reflected the respect forged and joy experienced between players from the two teams and two countries an ocean apart.

 

The game can be viewed – USA AFW ELITE TEAM vs. Italian National 21U Team.

 

This was the 10^th time AFW’s ELITE TEAM traveled abroad to represent the USA and American Football.  The week preceding any international contest includes a week of educational travel and exploration of the host country culture.  This tour started in Rome and visited Siena, Florence, Cinque Terra, Como and Milan Italy with a half-day excursion to Lugano, Switzerland.  AFW expects to offer another opportunity or two for HS players and families to travel and compete in the spring of 2024.  For more information visit American Football Worldwide or write to mailto:info@americanfootballworldwide.com.

Day 6 - Lugano, Switzerland and Lake Como with AFW

 We had an early breakfast call in the new hotel this morning. It is good Friday so there were some special Easter cakes that were a part of the buffet today! I love trying pastries in new places!!

We left for Lugano. Switzerland and drove for about an hour through beautiful countryside. We arrived and there was an Easter market going on in the streets. I knew that there were markets for Christmas but I had no idea that they did a similar thing for Easter. It was great! There were merchants selling everything from fruits and honey to cheese and antiques! It was really cool.

Our guide was great and took us on about an hour tour of Lugano. We learned a lot about the area and even got to see a statue of George Washington (Georgio Washington). After our tour we had about 15 minutes before the bus so we grabbed a bavrian pretzel and a latte to keep us going until lunch.

We drove to Como which was about a 45 minute drive – again the countryside was beautiful. Much nicer than the central part of the country – at least around the highway. We arrived in Como and Aidan and I grabbed some lunch at a quick service restaurant. It wasn’t great but it was fast! We headed out to do some shopping but were disappointed by the lack of local stores – it was all general retail – about the same as at home. After wandering around for about an hour, we gave up on trying to find gifts for the family and walked over to the cablecar to go up to the village above Como.

We had to wait about 30 minutes to get onto the tram but once we were up there, it was beautiful! We wandered around the village a bit, visited the church and lit some candles for Aunt Amanda and took some photos at the overlook. We had to be back at the bus but the line for the return tram ended up being an hour long!! We JUST made it to the bus in time. 

We went with the team to a brewery/restaurant in Como for dinner with the team. It took forever and the food was so-so but it was fun. We have made some good friends here and it was nice to just relax and enjoy ourselves.

Game day tomorrow and our last full day. We will visit Milan and then head home on Sunday. 

Photos from today!

https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-6/

Day 5 - Cinque Terre with AFW

 We packed up from the hotel near Florence and headed out to Cinque Terre. I was very excited – I had been looking forward to this day since the tour agenda had been published. We had a pretty long drive but saw some nice countryside – lots of olive trees and vineyards as well as marble quarries in Carrara and lots of marble yards with HUGE pieces of marble waiting to be cut and shipped out. It was pretty neat!

We arrived at Cinque Terre (Spezia actually) and walked from the bus to the train station. Everywhere seems to be about a mile – we have walked between 5-10 miles per day since arriving!

We got on the train at Spezia and went with the tour group up to the farthest North town in Cinque Terre  - Monterosso. We got off the train and immediately found a seaside restaurant where we could sit overlooking the beach and have lunch. We had pesto bruschetta, a local pasta with pesto and octopus with potatoes and olives. Everything was delicious! 

After lunch we walked on the beach, collected some rocks and Aidan and his teammates climbed a huge rock outcropping on the beach. We strolled around the town and tried to find some shopping but it is mostly a fishing village. We grabbed the train to the next town down the line – Vernazza – and were very surprised to encounter huge crowds and a much dirtier town. Not nearly as nice as Monterosso! We didn’t spend too much time there and wanted to head to Riomaggiore before we left. The train was running late and was super crowded but we made it down there with just enough time to grab a few pictures and rush back to the train and our group. We made it by the skin of our teeth!!

We headed back to the bus for a three hour ride to our new hotel just North of Milan. It is a much more American hotel and much more comfortable than the other two – maybe are just spoiled Americans! 

We had a nice dinner as a group in the hotel restaurant – dinner is so late here!! Tomorrow is Lake Como – so excited!!

Pictures:

https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-5/

Day 4 - Florence, Italy with AFW

 We had breakfast at the hotel this morning. Everyone was definitely dragging a little bit but we all made it to the bus and to Florence for our guided tour. The city is not as picturesque as Rome or Siena but we had a nice tour. The weather has been unexpectedly cold and no one was really prepared for the weather. We have tried our best to layer all of the clothing that we do have! I’m glad I randomly threw in a turtleneck sweater at the last minute!!

After our tour, we went to Palazzo Borghese for lunch in a beautiful room with gilded mirrors and chandeliers everywhere! It was amazing – and hidden inside a nondescript brick building. After lunch the boys went shopping on their own and then headed to the football field for practice. I walked around with some new friends, bought some gloves and a scarf because it was still freezing and then went to a local museum. 

Afterwards, we caught our bus over to the football field and watched the end of practice. We ate dinner at the restaurant at the football field – lots of salad, mozzarella, and a hamburger and fries!! We finished the meal with panacotta. Heading to bed tonight with a 6am wake up call for 6:45 practice in the cold and then Cinque Terre tomorrow!!!

Photos from Day 4 - https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-4/

Day 3 - Siena, Italy with AFW

 Aidan had breakfast and practice this morning at 6:30 – it was an early morning! They came back to the hotel around 10 and we packed up and got on the road to Siena. We drove for a few hours North from Rome and stopped at a rest stop for lunch. The food was amazing – sandwiches, pizza pastries. Plenty of food to hold us until a snack later! 

The scenery as we drove along was beautiful. Many ancient towns on hilltops and small walled villages. The rolling hills were dotted with cyprus trees, olive groves and vineyards.  Just gorgeous!

We arrived in Siena and took a tour of the town with a tour guide who told us all about the history of the town and the annual horse race that takes place in the town square every year. The town is ancient and the roads are very hilly and narrow. The buildings are right on top of each other – it was really cool to walk around. It was magical and there was a new beautiful view around every corner!

We drove to the next hotel that evening and got in and had dinner pretty late. It was a big meal and now I’m wondering if all of the late eating is the reason I can’t sleep!! 

Florence tomorrow! Should be amazing!!

Photos from Day 3 - https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-3/

Day 2 - Rome with AFW

 We got a bit of a respite this morning! We started out the day with a 7am wake up call and breakfast at the hotel. The spread at the hotel is huge – fruit, vegetables, meats and chesses, eggs, bacon, pastries and coffee. Plenty of food to hold us for several hours!! Aidan then left with the team to go to practice. They walked a few blocks to the fields from the hotel and by all accounts had a great practice. Aidan came back from practice in a great mood and very energized! I think it was just what he needed!

They came back and showered and then we at lunch at the hotel and then took the bus over to the Vatican. We waited in line outside the Vatican museum for a bit – luckily it was a beautiful day – before we were able to get inside and get started on our tour. It was really crowded – so many people that it was nearly impossible to stop and really see much of anything. We followed our guide through the museum and finished up at the Sistine Chapel. We got to stay inside for a few minutes – again – it was so crowded that there wasn’t a lot of time to stop and really take in the ceiling. It was definitely an experience and I’m glad that we were able to see it in person.

After the Vatican museum, we took the bus over to the Colosseum and had a great tour of the inside. We were able to see it at the end of the day and the light was gorgeous! I was looking forward the most to seeing the Colosseum and it did not disappoint! We were able to get a team photo inside and outside the Colosseum. 

We drove over to the Piazza Novana and had dinner at a restaurant overlooking the piazza. It was a beautiful night – what an incredible experience this has been so far! Tomorrow we will drive from Rome to Tuscany with a stop in Siena. Can’t wait!!

Photos from Day 2 - https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Italy-Day-2/i-B8fk4rw

Day 1 in Rome with AFW

 Aidan and I are spending the next week in Italy with American Football Worldwide! It's an amazing opportunity to travel with a fun group of people and incredible guides through a country that I've always wanted to go to but have been a bit intimidated by - the language and the distance between cities seems a bit challenging!

We started our journey on Saturday morning. Instead of flying from DCA to JFK, I thought we would drive and park up there. That will let us go to Trinity when we get back - since we will already be halfway there! The traffic from DC to NYC was a bit heavier than expected and it poured the entire way up there. We ended up being about an hour later to the parking lot than we had hoped and had missed the last shuttle to the airport - the website did NOT say that there were limited shuttles!!  Just by luck, the shuttle driver was still there and was so kind. He agreed to take us over to the airport and dropped us off exactly in the right place - with plenty of time to spare! Aidan and I were pretty stressed - although in reality, we were still about an hour early. The tour had just built in a lot of extra time - for people like us! :(

We got checked in to our flight, made our way through security with no issues and got something to eat in preparation for the overnight flight. The flight left around 4:30 and the travel time to Rome is only about 6 1/2 hours - we tried to get as much sleep as possible. I think I slept about 3-4 hours total but I don't think Aidan slept more than an hour or so. We landed in Rome at 6:30 am local time and I think we were the first flight in to the airport that morning. We made it through customs and immigration quickly and got our bags. The other flights in our tour were arriving in a few hours so we hung out with the families on our flight and got some coffee and croissants at the cafe in the airport. It was fun to meet everyone and the boys started to strike up friendships and find connections. We even found out that another boy on the tour is going to Trinity!

After everyone arrived at the airport, we headed out on an awesome double decker bus to the center of Rome. We started at the Spanish Steps and then got to wander around and grab some lunch at a restaurant. We ate with another family and some boys who came without parents. It was amazing - sitting in the sun in Rome, eating pizza on a beautiful side street. It was also Palm Sunday (they use olive branches in Rome instead of Palms!) and so many people were out, walking back from church. It was amazing people watching!

From there, we met back up at the Spanish steps and met our guide, Flavia, for a walking tour of the city. We walked all over - hit a lot of the highlights - Trevi Fountain etc - and ended up at the Vatican where we waited in line for about an hour to go into the Basilica of St. Peter. It was worth every minute in line and I wish we could have stayed inside longer! It was the most incredible church I have ever seen - even better than Notre Dame! While we were inside, a storm came through with rain, lighting and hail!! Thankfully we weren't outside in line during that time! We had to wait a bit for the bus to come and we got a bit we walking to the bus but I was thankful that we had carried our raincoats and umbrellas around all day! 

Once we got on the bus everyone collapsed and the boys all slept for about 20 minutes as we drove to the restaurant for dinner. We got a quick preview of tomorrow and saw just a sliver of the Colosseum as we drove by. The restaurant was amazing - it was underground and the ceiling was brick arches. It felt like being in the catacombs - in a good way! The food was delicious - the first course was two types of pasta - a carbonara and a red sauce, the second was chicken with roasted bell peppers and olives and green beans, dessert was puff pastry and vanilla pastry cream. We left happy and full but exhausted and ready for bed! Our hotel is outside of the center of Rome - close to fields so the boys can walk to practice in the morning. Once we got our keys and bags and got up to the room we collapsed. Almost 2 days with no sleep is a lot!

Photos from Day 1 - https://beckycullinan.smugmug.com/American-Football-Worldwide-Italy-2023/Rome-Day-1/