A local artist sits on a bench and works on his depiction of the Sforza Castle as the Jayhawks walk up to explore the castle during their city tour of Milan on Aug. 6, 2017. 

Milan — Andrea Hudy has had a handful of memorable birthdays in her life — most on a beach somewhere, or during her childhood — but none of them were spent in Italy.

Until Sunday, that is.

Hudy, KU’s celebrated assistant athletics director for sport performance, whose job it is to keep the Kansas men’s basketball team fast and fit, did her best to turn away when a few Jayhawks stopped for gelato or something tasty to drink on their walking tour of Milan on Sunday morning.

As a precursor for their last of four games on Italian soil Sunday night, the Jayhawks toured Cathedral Duomo, a giant Catholic church that took 500 years to build, and in which an active Sunday Mass was taking place; Milan’s famed Galleria district, where some of the finest shopping in the world exists; Sforza Castle, just down the road from Duomo; and other sites along the way, such as a prominent statue honoring Leonardo da Vinci and Teatro Scala, one of the most prestigious opera houses in the world.

At times during the tour, it almost seemed as if part of it had been tailor-made for Hudy’s birthday.

At the statue of da Vinci, the Italian tour guide told the Jayhawks the legend of the great master, which said he could stand in a still position and jump vertically to his height.

Behind the guide, an amused Hudy smiled and smirked at the mere thought.

Later, inside Cathedral Duomo, the same guide pointed out a statue near the far end of the church, to the left of the altar, that featured St. Bartholomew wearing a robe of his own skin. Bartholomew was depicted in what the guide referred to as a “ripped” physique, as every muscle was well defined and carefully crafted to show the strength of the human body.

Naturally, as a scientist by trade, Hudy snapped a few pictures of Bartholomew for her collection. No word yet if she planned to hang a copy of the photograph inside the Anderson Family Strength and Conditioning Center back in Lawrence to inspire the Jayhawks when they work out.

Kansas sophomore Mitch Lightfoot stops on the walk between Cathedral Duomo and Sforza Castle to grab some gelato from a street vendor in Milan, Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017.

The entire two-hour walking tour featured a lot of laughs and smiles, photographs and Snapchats, with the most memorable being Devonté Graham posing for a photograph with a man in a bright blue and pink, palm tree- and flamingo-clad shorts-suit.

Several Jayhawks, including, of course, KU coach Bill Self, once again were recognized by fans who wanted to say hello, wish the team luck or snap a picture.

“It feels great,” KU freshman Marcus Garrett said earlier in the week of all of the adventures beyond basketball that have made the team’s trip to Italy so memorable. “We’re having a lot of fun out here, we’re getting better as teammates, we’re getting to know each other and we’re getting to know the coaching staff. I’m real comfortable, man, and it’s been great.”

The Jayhawks capped off the basketball portion of their trip with a 118-74 rout of Dream Team Italy on Sunday night and will wrap up the trip today with a tour of Lake Como.