CLEVELAND, Ohio – The Cleveland State men's basketball program will take a foreign trip to Italy from August 12-21, head coach Dennis Felton announced on Tuesday.

The Vikings, who are allowed 10 practices in preparation for the trip, held their first practice on Monday evening.

"We are very excited about the opportunity to take a foreign trip to Italy," Felton said. "This will be the first time out of the country for many of our players and will give them a lifetime of memories. This is another example of the outstanding opportunities that are provided at Cleveland State University. The extra practice that we get will help us prepare for the upcoming season, but the unique cultural experiences and opportunity to bond as a team overseas are what will make this trip special.

"We are so thankful to our donors who have helped make this trip possible with their continued support of our program and department."

The Vikings will fly overnight to Milan on Aug. 12, landing in Italy the morning of Aug. 13.

The team will spend Aug. 13-14 in Treviso before heading to Florence from Aug. 15-17 where the Vikings will play their first two games, facing the Italy All Stars on Aug. 15 at 6:30 pm (12:30 pm ET) and the Tuscan All Stars on Aug. 17 at 8:30 pm (2:30 pm ET). The trip concludes in Rome from Aug. 18-20 with the final game of the tour against Stella Azzurra Roma on Aug. 19 at 6:30 pm (12:30 pm ET).

In addition to the three games, the group is scheduled to take a Gondola Ride through Venice, visit Mercato San Lorenzo, take a bike tour of Florence, receive a guided tour of the Colosseum and visit The Vatican City and the Sistine Chapel.

CSU will fly back to the United States the morning of Aug. 21 and arrive back later that night.