West Ham were the only foreign side in the Michele Cara international tournament near Bari in southern Italy and Tony Carr says:
"We did well and lost to Reggina in the final - all in all it was a successful trip and the lads have gained valuable experience.
"A lot of them had never come across that sort of atmosphere - especially in the semi-final and the final with a slightly hostile crowd.
"It was nothing nasty, but they obviously weren't used to it and the emotion of the games was something.
"They are accustomed to academy football where games are split into thirds and quarters.
"Also, it was a tournament where winner takes all, so to speak, and winning was so important in terms of trying to progress.
"They had not experienced a lot of that before, so it was great in that respect.
"A lot of the boys told me they found the atmosphere intimidating - but exhilerating at the same time.
"It was quite hot although we were kicking off in the evenings - it was very warm and humid.
"All these things test you, and it was a great experience for the players."