Le Kevin Smith, after an offseason of traveling, has his feet on the ground.

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The Providence Journal / Gretchen Ertl

FOXBORO –– Le Kevin Smith put in his work during the offseason, as the third-year defensive lineman worked to reshape his body and increase his speed.

But he also found a way to enjoy himself, taking two trips to Europe: the first to fulfill a dream to see the Colosseum in Rome, and the second to Finland, where he visited the family of a college teammate and taught American football to children there.

A construction management major at Nebraska, Smith has always had an interest in architecture and is fascinated by the Colosseum: its age, craftsmanship, and even the acoustics, the way that people even at the top could hear words spoken on the arena floor.

Smith enjoyed every part of his trip to Italy, recalling the hand-carved marble and the beauty of the buildings there.

The food wasn’t bad, either: Smith’s traveling companion was a friend with grandparents in the country, and upon their arrival, he was greeted with a plate of homemade pasta that was the best he’s ever tasted.

Later he went to Finland, where one of his best friends from his college days, Seppo Evwaraye, was born. Evwarye hails from Vaasa, on the western coast, and Smith visited Helsinki as well.

The architectural style there, Smith said, is more modern and clean, and he was taken by the friendliness of the people and the beauty of the land. They’re law-abiding, too –– Evwaraye warned him that Finnish people don’t even do something so rebellious much as jaywalking.

Though as a reserve on a line that features Pro-Bowl players Richard Seymour and Vince Wilfork as well as standout Ty Warren, Smith isn’t yet a household name. Still, he met several die-hard New England Patriots fans in Finland, and a few knew who he was as well. Smith joked with Evwaraye that he’s “international” now.

Soccer, of course, is a huge sport in the Scandinavian country, so the children at the clinic knew the basic rules of football, but when it came to showing them moves, Smith had to get pretty specific.

“They didn’t know football technique and hand placement and things like that,” he said. “It was ‘run here, cut here, tackle here.’ But they all played soccer, so they had great footwork.”

He enjoyed both Italy and Finland, and said he can’t wait to get back to Rome, though now he has designs on visiting Paris, London and Spain to see the architecture there as well. The clinic organizers in Finland want him to come back every year.

As for his own football skills, Smith set about to making himself better all around.

“I just wanted to give [the Patriots] the best product possible,” he said. “I want to be the fastest I can be, the strongest I can be, quickest I can be. What they decide to do with it, that’s up to them, but I want to be the best athlete physically and mentally possible. I know that’s the only way I’ll make it onto the field.”

Smith is pleased with the results he got from his gym time.

“Definitely I’ve made improvements in that area. I’m happy with it (but) not satisfied with it. I could always do better,” he said. “But I’m happy with it and now it’s (time to) try to learn how to use my new talent.”

With Seymour getting a couple of days off and Jarvis Green and Mike Wright still on the unable-to-perform list, Smith has gotten a lot of reps in practice at defensive end.

Filling in along the line “is a chance to get better, to show them what I can do at a different spot,” Smith said. Though thus far, most of his game action with the defense has been at end, Smith, 6-foot-3, 308 pounds, is learning the nose-tackle position as well. He is also a contributor on special teams, with four tackles last year, which is a testament to his speed.

Of course, if he keeps taking trips to Italy for homemade pasta, his speed might be a thing of the past, like gladiator battles in the Colosseum.

Today’s camp

schedule

Single session:

2:30-4:30 p.m

smanza@projo.com