Three of the world’s most exciting cities await Vanderbilt’s bowling team.

The Commodore team will travel to Paris, Rome and Florence over a 10-day period in late July, the latest in a series of Vanderbilt varsity teams to see a different part of the world.

While the majority of the trip will be educational in nature with tours and sight-seeing, the Commodores will bowl the Italian National Team July 28-29, according to Head Coach John Williamson.

“As is bowling’s international custom, we will compete with the Italian team in singles, doubles and a four-person team competition,” Williamson says. “The bowling will take place in Florence, designated a 2012 European City of Sport. We are taking our entire team including our two recent graduates, Samantha Hesley and Brittni Hamilton and we expect the entire trip to be an unforgettable experience.”

The team, along with several athletic department administrator, will depart Nashville for Paris on July 21. After spending several days exploring the romantic French city, the team will fly to the historic city of Rome for several more days of sight-seeing such icons as the Coliseum, the Vatican, museums, the famous piazzas with their ancient fountains and architecture and sampling the delicious Italian cuisine.

The tour then travels north via train to Florence, where in addition to the friendly bowling competition more touring is in store.

“We place a high value on international trips for our student-athletes,” says Vanderbilt Vice Chancellor David Williams. “For many, these trips offer the first opportunity to see the world beyond the borders of the United States so in that sense, we are much more interested in the educational aspects of a trip than the actual sports competition. The bowlers have been working toward this trip for several years and we are happy to help make it possible.”

Williamson appreciates the university’s support.

“While our bowling goals are always high, we want to offer a student-athlete more than just bowling when they choose to enroll at Vanderbilt,” Williamson says. “We try every year to make the most out of trips when we travel to major cities and a tremendous trip such as this is the culmination of our efforts.”