Florentine football is a colorful and brutal medieval sports competition, the tournament of which takes place annually on June 16-24 in the square Santa Croce in Florence.

The original name of Florentine football is calcio storico (“Calcio Storico”). It began to be played in Florence back in the 15th century. And the first rules of the game were printed in 1580. More precisely, there are practically no rules here. The main thing is to score a goal. At the same time, opponents can be hit with the elbow, foot, head… Only kicks to the head and mass beatings are prohibited (two people can’t hit one).

Piazza Santa Croce becomes a football arena

They play Florentine football “without rules” in only shorts, with a naked torso. Each team has 27 people. These are mainly athletes – boxers no older than 40 years old. The ball is made of leather and stuffed with goat hair. It’s almost the size of a basketball. The field is the city square of Santa Croce, covered with sand (field size 50 by 100 meters). Tribunes are installed on the sides of the square.

In total, four teams take part in the tournament – one from each historical district of Florence (blue clothing for Santa Croce, red for Santa Maria Novella, white for San Spirito and green for San Giovanni).

Florentine football resembles fights without rules

In addition to the football players themselves, there are several referees on the field (unlike the football players, they wear clothes) and paramedics who help the wounded. Several ambulances are constantly on duty near the field.

Football itself is almost a complete massacre, when players are divided into pairs who fight among themselves. However, every team has a few thin and agile players who try to carry the ball across the field and score a goal.

The final of the tournament takes place on June 24, at the height of the Florence City Day celebrations.