NEW YORK — Columbia men's basketball completed a 12-day foreign tour through Switzerland and Italy.
Following departure from New York City on Friday, Aug. 11, the Lions spent three nights in Switzerland and seven nights in Italy before returning home on Tuesday, Aug. 22. For all the content regarding the foreign tour, check out Columbia men's basketball's Twitter and
Instagram pages. Head to the Columbia men's basketball
photo galleries page for each day's gallery. To view the trip's full itinerary, click
here. The 12-day tour consisted of two full days of travel on the first and last day.
The Columbia men's basketball program would like to thank Anthony Travel for their help in executing the 2023 foreign tour. The Lions also want to thank their main tour guide Yorick, who was with them everyday making sure the group was informed of everything they saw.
Another thank you goes out to the team's Rome tour guide Stuart, who took the Lions through the historic sites of the ancient city in a safe and efficient way for three days. Lastly, a thank you to the bus driver Domenico, who got everyone on the trip to each destination safely for 12-straight days.
Day 10 - Touring the Vatican
The Lions spent the morning on their own before departing the hotel for a guided tour of the Vatican around 12:30 p.m. local time. The three-hour tour led the group through the Sistine Chapel and wrapped up at
St. Peter's Basilica.
Following the tour, the group had the rest of their last day in Europe to themselves.
Photo Gallery: Day 10
Video Recap: Days 8, 9, & 10
Day 9 - Walking in Rome & Exhibition Game 4
The Lions walked out of the hotel around 9:30 a.m. local time on Sunday for their second guided walking tour in Rome. The first stop was at the
Spanish Steps, followed by
Trevi Fountain, and then the
Senate House. The two-hour tour wrapped up in
Piazza Navona. The group spent a large portion of the afternoon exploring Rome on their own before the final exhibition game.
Columbia earned its third-straight wire-to-wire victory on Friday night over the Roman All-Stars, 91-35, at Centro Sportivo Tellene in Rome.
Zavian McLean led the team in scoring as five Lions added double figures in the win.
Photo Gallery: Day 9
Video Recap: Days 8, 9, & 10
Postgame: Noland & Engles
Day 8 - Arrival in Rome & Touring the Colosseum
The Lions checked out of their hotel in Florence around 10 a.m. local time to head to Rome for the final stop in Italy. Before departing, the team sang happy birthday to head coach Jim Engles in the lobby.
The team arrived in Rome around 2:30 p.m. and passed Circus Maximus (Circo Massimo), an ancient Roman chariot-racing stadium and mass entertainment venue.
Around 3 p.m. the group began a guided walking tour of the Colosseum. For about 2.5 hours the Lions strolled through what is also known as the Flavian Amphitheater to take pictures and learn facts about the deep history of the site. Upon arrival at the hotel, the team spent the evening at their leisure.
Photo Gallery: Day 8
Video Recap: Days 8, 9, & 10
Day 7 - Viola Park Tour & Exhibition Game 3
The Lions hit the streets of Florence Friday morning around 9 a.m. local time for a guided walking tour.
Following the tour and a short break at the hotel, the team boarded the bus to head to Viola Park, home of ACF Fiorentina. The brand new facility is one of the largest soccer facilities in Europe and is owned by Columbia Athletics Hall of Famer Rocco B. Commisso '71SEAS. For the full recap on the team's tour with Commisso and
ACF Fiorentina,
click here.
"I just want to thank Rocco for having us at his facility," head coach Jim Engles said. "That was amazing. It's unbelievable to see what he's accomplished over here. I'll be wearing purple as they start and just want to wish them luck."
After departing Viola Park, the Lions made a brief stop at Piazzale Michelangelo for a photo opportunity before heading to the gym for their third exhibition game of the trip.
Columbia earned another wire-to-wire win on Friday night. The Lions defeated CBT All-Star, 92-64, at PalaCoverciano in Florence. Six Lions poured in double figures in a solid team effort, led by Zavian McLean. In attendance was Gabe Stefanini '21CC, who played two seasons for the Lions. He currently plays professionally for Reggio Emilia in Lega Basket Serie A, which is the highest tier of the Italian league system in Italy.
Photo Gallery: Day 7
Video Recap: Days 6 & 7
Day 6 - Touring Bologna & Arrival in Florence
The Lions checked out of their Milan hotel around 9 a.m. local time on Thursday to head to Bologna.
Following a 2.5-hour ride, Columbia arrived at the Fountain of Neptune and split up into smaller groups to explore the town. The Lions spent about two hours in Bologna shopping and having lunch before continuing the trek to their next hotel in Florence. After arriving there around 4:30 p.m., the group had the rest of the evening to themselves.
Photo Gallery: Day 6
Video Recap: Days 6 & 7
Day 5 - Touring Milan & Exhibition Game 2
The Lions left their Milan hotel in the Porta Nuova section of the city around 9:30 a.m. local time to head to central station. The group toured the Cathedral in the morning and mixed in some shopping before heading back to the hotel to regroup ahead of the team's second exhibition game.
The team boarded the bus around 1:30 p.m. to head to Palestra Mazzolari in Verolanuova.
Columbia earned a wire-to-wire victory over Pro Camp, 93-52. The Lions led 44-30 at the break and had a 31-point advantage after three quarters. Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa poured in nine three-pointers for Columbia and Kenny Noland also cracked double figures.
Following the victory, the Lions celebrated with a postgame swim and lasagna dinner down the block from the gym.
Photo Gallery: Day 5
Video Recap: Days 4 & 5
Day 4 - Arrival in Italy & Lake Como Boat Tour
The Lions departed their hotel in Montreux for Como, Italy on Tuesday morning around 9 a.m. local time. The team arrived in Como around 1 p.m. and grabbed lunch near the lake. In the afternoon the group went on an hour-long boat tour of Lake Como. Sights on the tour included Villa Oleandra (one of actor George Clooney's residences), world-renowned conference center Villa Erba that was used in the movie "Ocean's Twelve", Villa Fontanelle, and more.
Following the boat tour, the Lions strolled through Como for a couple of hours before hopping back on the bus to head to Milan. Columbia arrived at the hotel around 6 p.m. and spent the evening at their leisure.
Video Recap: Days 4 & 5
Day 3 - Swiss Cheese Factory Tour & Exhibition Game 1
The Lions traveled about 25 miles Monday morning to Gruyères for a tour of
La Maison du Gruyère, a Swiss Cheese Factory. The team got to sample a few different cheeses and see how it is made. Following the tour, the stop continued in the town of Gruyères and the team got to visit shops and restaurants in the area around
Gruyères Castle. Around lunch time, the Lions returned to the hotel to spend the afternoon at their leisure before leaving around 4 p.m. local time for the first exhibition game of the tour.
The Lions earned a 75-69 victory over the
Pully-Lausanne Foxes at
Salle Omnisports – Vallée de la Jeunesse on Monday evening. In front of a packed house in Lausanne,
Noah Robledo and
Zavian McLean each scored in double figures for the Lions while
Jaden Cooper was named the game's MVP in a postgame ceremony. The Lions opened up a game-high 14-point lead late in the first half. Columbia led 34-23 after the first 20 minutes of play and held a one-point advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
Photo Gallery: Day 3
Video Recap: Day 3
Day 2 - Hiking in the Swiss Alps
The Lions got out to an early start on Sunday morning. Following breakfast at the hotel, the team boarded the bus around 8 a.m. local time and headed to Lauterbrunnen. There, Columbia strolled around town before getting on a train to Wengen. The Lions then took a gondola ride up into the mountains. The team then ensued on roughly a 90-minute hike through Männlichen trail before taking the train back into town to get the bus back to the hotel. After returning to the hotel around 6:30 p.m. the players got to spend the evening at their leisure.
Photo Gallery: Day 2
Video Recap: Day 2
Day 1 - Arrival in Switzerland
The Lions landed in Geneva, Switzerland around 11 a.m. local time on Saturday. From the airport, the team traveled to Lausanne to spend the afternoon there. The stop included a guided tour of the Olympic Museum.
From there, the team bused about a half hour east to the hotel in Montreux, which overlooks the shore line of Lake Geneva and has a view of the Swiss Alps. Columbia then regrouped in the evening for a team dinner at
Le Museum, a Swiss Cuisine restaurant that was walking distance from the hotel.
Photo Gallery: Day 1
Video Recap: Day 1
