The Emory University swimming and diving team will embark on Thursday for a nine-day, seven night trip to Italy and Switzerland, giving the squad an opportunity for some early-season training, in addition to various sightseeing and cultural activities.

After arriving in Italy, the Eagles will have a day to tour the villas and parks of Como, before beginning training in the Outdoor Olympic Sports Centre in Gallarate the following morning.  The team’s second day in Como will consist of guided boat tour of Lake Como, including stops at Bellagio, Menaggio, and Cernobbio.

After a second training session in Gallarate on day four of the trip, the team will go on a trekking excursion through the Valtellina region of the Italian Alps.

On the fifth day of the trip, the Eagles will have one last training session at Gallarate before spending the rest of the day in Lugano, Switzerland, and then traveling to a new hotel in Tuscany.  Emory will have a day off from training, getting an opportunity instead to spend all of day six shopping and visiting the museums in the city of Florence.

The team will resume training on the seventh day at the Olympic Sports Center in Montecatini, followed by a wine, cheese and fruit tasting at Fattoria il Poggio, one of the oldest farms in Tuscany.  Later in the day, the team will travel to the city of Siena for a walking tour, shopping, and coffee in the famous Piazza del Campo.

The team will wrap up the trip in Rome, as the squad will have an entire day to spend in the historical city, exploring the many landmarks and famous sites, including the Vatican and the Coliseum. 

The Emory women’s swimming and diving team, which has claimed back-to-back NCAA Division III National Championships, and men’s team, which has  claimed third in each of the last two NCAA Championship meets, will kick off their 2011-12 season on October 7^th at home with the Blue/Gold Long Course Meet.