BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Driver Emma Luna (Sr., Wahiawa, Hawaii/Punahou School) checked in with the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) office regarding the Connecticut College women’s water polo team’s eight days of training, sightseeing and enjoying the northern Italian coastline.
This marks the fourth international trip the Connecticut College water polo programs have taken under the watch of head coach Matt Anderson. The CC men previously went to Italy in 2017 and Germany in 2024, while the women traveled to Spain in 2019.
Day 1, August 3
Today was our first full day and we started off with a lovely Italian breakfast at the hotel before heading into town for a surf lesson! We did the surf lesson which was super fun, and then we laid on the beach for awhile before a picnic lunch. They got us an assortment of amazing small savory pastries to try. Then we sat on the beach for a bit before we got to surf again! The waves were much smaller and it was busier so we did just a bit more sitting on the boards and chatting but that was also fun. Then we headed back to the hotel to lay out by the pool for a bit. We had dinner during sunset on the beach and it was super fun. We walked to the next village over to see part of the Stella Maris festival. The people float lanterns in the water to honor Mary, our star of the sea, and play music and have a great time. We got some more gelato and began our stroll back to the hotel under the moonlight.
Day 2, August 4
Busy today!! We left our hotel at 10 to walk back to Camogli (the next village over) which is a bit of a hike but so worth it. We swam in the ocean for awhile before getting some lovely lunch. We had foccacia, a colorful salad, salmon, and the most flavorful caprese salad. Then we hopped on the train to training. We had a pool session with a bunch of young Italian players in a camp with the Italian national team which was so hectic because they don’t speak English very well and it was very tricky LOL. We barely caught the train back and we stopped at a grocery store before heading back to the hotel for dinner. We had focaccia al formaggio which is a regional specialty dish and was very tasty. Then it was time for bed before a busy day tomorrow.
Day 3, August 5
Long day in Cinque Terre today! We started off with the train to Riomaggiore and spent about an hour there – we shopped a bit and visited the church and castle, but the real sight was the gorgeous view, which we then got to enjoy fully on our walk along the Via Dell’Amore to the next town over, Manarola. There we went to the church and did a fair amount of shopping before a late lunch, where we drank some famous Cinque Terre wine produced in the region. then we hung out for a bit (i got a granita) before walking back to Riomaggiore a bit early to swim. We found a place to climb down the rocks and jump straight into the ocean and had tons of fun! The water is so clear and blue – it is gorgeous. Then we got out and met the rest of our group for the train back to Recco. We had dinner – hamburgers – which were surprising really good, and are heading to bed for a long day of water polo tomorrow.
