CALCIO STORICO IN FLORENCE

The Calcio Storico in Florence.

The bloodiest city tradition.

June 24th.

Florence celebrates the feast day for its patron saint: St. John the Baptist.

It’s a thrill moment for the city, the vibe in the streets is electric and the Florentines are looking forward to two main events: the impressive fireworks show to celebrate the saint and the final match of Calcio Storico.

The game is played in the iconic Santa Croce Square, in front of the frowning statue of Dante – an almost unbeatable location.

The afternoon at the game is pure entertainment for both locals and visitors, especially the curious ones looking for some adrenaline.

We bought two tickets a month in advance and enjoyed this thrilling experience from the initial colourful parade to the post-game celebration of the victorious Red team.

It was unique, fun and brutal.

And we loved it.

The air is filled with the acrid smell of the multi-coloured smoke bombs.

The “red” fans are jubilant as their team just annihilated the rivals.

They are going wild under the sun of June, screaming raucously and chanting picchia rosso, picchia rosso (“hit ‘em hard reds!”).

On the opposite stand, the green fans are silently leaving the arena, flowing away from Santa Croce Square and its one thousand years of history, written in the marble and stones of the glorious façade of Santa Croce church.

The sleek statue of Dante escorts them out, with its severe gaze and hooked nose.

There are still a few blood marks in the sand of the arena, but no one cares now that the adrenaline is gone – it looks like a regular celebration after a normal sport victory.

But Calcio Storico, or “historical football”, is NOT a normal sport.

It’s at the crossroads of boxing, football and rugby.

The pitch is rectangular with goal nets at each end. Each team is made by 27 players and the match lasts for 50 minutes.

No substitutions, no breaks.

Almost every martial art tactic is allowed to gain the opponent's territory and throw the ball in the net scoring a caccia (“hunt”): head-butting, punching and choking, everything is legal.

The ancient prize for the winning team was a butchered Chianina calf, while nowadays is a paid dinner in a fancy restaurant.

Calcio Storico is also known as Calcio Fiorentino or Calcio in Costume (“football in a costume”) and it runs almost every year since the 15th century.

The tradition didn’t even stop in 1530, when the city was under siege by the imperial troops sent by Charles V. The stubborn Florentines played anyway, in the defiance of the enemy. Take that Charles!

At times the matches get rough, as in 2006 and 2007, when the games were cancelled because a savage brawl broke out between the teams and the officials couldn’t control it.

Each of the four districts of the city is represented here with its colour: Blues (Santa Croce), Reds (Santa Maria Novella), Whites (Santo Spirito) and Greens (San Giovanni).

Needless to say, check in which stand you’ll be seating and dress accordingly to avoid silly colour disputes...

The game is preceded by a spectacular parade in medieval costume with a marching band and prodigious flag throwers, representing each of the four districts.

The pageant starts downtown near the church of Santa Maria Novella and heads to Santa Croce Square before the match.

If you like what you’ve read so far, we strongly recommend to be in Florence on June 24th, choose a side and enjoy the Finale.

It’s colourful and passionate – very often violent – but it’s really fun to watch.

The tickets can be bought ONLY at the main office for Box Office Toscana at Le Murate (address is Via delle Vecchie Carceri, 1) and the price is 30-60€ pp. In the past three years, the tickets were NOT sold online, in order to grant early-bird rights to the local fans.

The final match gets sold out quickly so book the tickets as early as possible.

The game takes place in front of the church in Santa Croce Square, styled and setup like an arena for the occasion, filled with sand and surrounded by metallic stands for the public.

The overall experience lasts around 3 hours, including the parade, the match and the celebration.

Be there early, at least an hour before the match, to avoid the crowd of the last-minute and to better enjoy the parade.

Don’t forget to bring a lot of cold water as there’s no shade in the stands, and in June the Tuscan sun can rock for real.

As said, June 24th it’s a celebration day for the city, therefore some shops are closed (especially in the afternoon) and the city organises many cultural and folkloric events, culminating in the fabulous fireworks show, called by locals “i fochi di San Giovanni”.

For more information on the Historic Football, watch this great documentary.

Pro-tip for the post-match!

The fireworks light up the skies at 10pm that same day of the Calcio Storico final.

If you want to enjoy the fireworks at a close range, look for a viewing spot in the crowded area near the San Niccolò Tower – one of the old city gates – right under the firing point at Piazzale Michelangelo.

For a more distant look, to better appreciate the city skyline lit by the fireworks, you want to be in one of the bridges on the Arno, ideally the Santa Trinita bridge.

Either way make sure you head to your preferred spot at least a couple of hours before the display, as many streets are closed and the downtown is very crowded.