Italy coach Cesare Prandelli gestures during the Euro 2012 soccer championship Group C match between Italy and the Republic of Ireland in Poznan, Poland, Monday, June 18, 2012. (AP Photo/Peter Morrison)
June 20, 2012 - 7:53 AM
KRAKOW, Poland - Italy coach Cesare Prandelli isn't one to break a promise — especially one made with an order of monks.
Prandelli and his entire staff embarked on a trek of 21 kilometres (13 miles) at 3 a.m. Tuesday from the team hotel to a Camaldolese monastery.
Upon arriving in Poland on June 5, Prandelli and Italian delegation chief Demetrio Albertini had promised the monks that they would visit them by foot if Italy advanced from the group stage.
After Italy beat Ireland 2-0 in Poznan, the squad flew back to its base in Wieliczka, outside Krakow. The players went to bed but the staff set off on the 3 1/2-hour journey.
They returned by car, but Italy captain Gianluigi Buffon has promised he will make the round trip by foot if Italy wins the tournament.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012