Tuesday morning we had an early breakfast and bid farewell to Gubbio and our hosts at the Relais Ducale. We boarded the bus and settled in for about a two and a half hour trip to Norcia. We brought out another competitive side to our team in an intense game of Catch Phrase. We arrived at Hotel Salicone and checked into our rooms. The hotel has a training facility on the premises including: two soccer pitches, an indoor pool, two weight rooms and an indoor gymnasium. Many professional and national teams have held training camps here. We had lunch at the Il Granero del Montte, and met the mother and two sons of the Biaconi family. They own both the restaurant and the hotel and training facility. Again, we received first class treatment and were warmly welcomed.

After lunch we headed out to the pitch for our first training session in Norcia. The field is surrounded by snow-capped mountains. Despite the rain, we had a quality training session before heading back to the hotel to get ready for dinner. We ate at the same restaurant and the eldest son, Vincenzo, welcomed us with a champagne toast. A professional men’s rugby team from Italy greeted us and their captains and coaches presented us with a t-shirt as a friendly exchange of best wishes. After dinner we headed straight to the gelataria. (of course the men’s rubgy team followed)

Another competitive game of Catch Phrase lasted late into the night in the lobby of the hotel. Finally about 1:15am we headed off to bed. Much rest is needed as we will play our first match tomorrow.