I was watching a program on T.V last night about weird sports from around the world; well I say I was watching it, it was on in the background, when the word Florence grabbed my attention. Not for any real reason, it just so happened that I'd booked a couple of cruises that day with Florence as a port of call so I started watching and actually found it quite interesting.
This sport, called Calcio Fiorentino was an early form of Italian football that originated in Florence in the 16th Century. From what I can see online, it looks as though Florence is still the only place it gets played.
It was played in teams of 27, using both feet and hands. Goals could be scored by throwing the ball over a designated spot on the perimeter of the field. The playing field is a giant sand pit with a goal running the width of each end. There is a main referee, six linesmen and a field master. Each game is played out for 50 minutes with the winner being the team with the most points.
The game itself died out about two hundred years ago but was revived back in the 1930s so that now three games a year are played in the third week of June.
The modern rules of the game are very similar expect you are allowed to head butt, punch, elbow and choke the opposing team. The only things forbidden are sucker punches and kicks to the heads.
So if you find yourself in Florence towards the end of June it might be worth looking at booking an excursion to see one of these games, in the meantime you can check out this video below.
Happy cruising
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