ROME, Italy – The Toledo women's basketball team wrapped up its final day in Italy on Monday with a visit to the Vatican City. The Rockets will return to the "Glass City" Tuesday evening.

"This whole trip was very, very special to me," said senior Mariella Santucci, a native of Bologna. "It meant a lot to have my teammates, coaches and quite a few fans make the trip to my home country. I loved showing off my culture and way of life to them, and I think they loved it back."

Toledo received a three-plus hour guided tour of the headquarters of the Roman Catholic Church. They had a chance to walk through the home of the Pope and see iconic art and architecture. Within the city-state surrounded by Rome, the Rockets toured the Vatican Museum, which houses ancient Roman sculptures such as the famed "Laocoön and His Sons," the Sistine Chapel, famous for Michelangelo's ceiling and St. Peter's Basilica, designed by Donato Bramante, Michelangelo, Carlo Maderno and Gian Lorenzo Bernini. St. Peter's Basilica is also the largest church in the world.

"Today's tour was very cool," junior Mariah Copeland said. "Going to Notre Dame Academy, we talked a lot about the Vatican City, but it doesn't fully register unless you've actually been there before. Getting the opportunity to tour it and see all of those beautiful sites and artworks was pretty special."   

The Rockets then put the finishing touches of the trip this evening with a farewell dinner with the entire travel party at Tanagra Caffé Concerto.

"As our time in Italy comes to a close, I want to thank everyone who helped make our trip possible," Head Coach Tricia Cullop said. "We tasted amazing food and immersed ourselves in the rich art, culture and history. We won three games and had the privilege of sharing special moments with the family of Mariella Santucci. This trip gave us the chance to help our six new players get used to our style of play, gain valuable experience and get a jump start to the season. Many of us traveled throughout Italy for the first time, but the memories of this trip will be etched in our minds for a lifetime. We will forever be grateful to our Rocket family for their generosity."

The team is slated to fly out of Leonardo da Vinci International Airport Tuesday morning and make the 10-hour return voyage to Detroit Metro Airport to officially close out the trip.