Calcio storico fiorentino

Calcio storico fiorentino, also called calcio storico or calcio in livrea, is an old kind of football game. It began a long time ago during the Middle Ages in Italy, and people still play it today in Florence. Many think the game first started in the Piazza Santa Croce in Florence, where it was called the giuoco del calcio fiorentino or just calcio. Today, the word calcio is used in the Italian language to mean association football.

This special game is part of the celebrations for St. John the Baptist. The big final match happens every year on June 24, which is the saint’s feast day. Some people believe the game may have begun as a way to remember an old Roman sport called harpastum.

History

Renaissance era

According to legend, playing rough games helped train young soldiers, and calcio started from this kind of training. Later, rich people turned it into a real sport.

Once, the city of Florence held a match on 17 February 1530, even though soldiers from Emperor Charles V were surrounding the city. Only important soldiers, lords, and princes played this "noble game" in Piazza Santa Croce.

Someone named Giovanni de' Bardi wrote down rules for the game in the late 1500s.

Modern revival

People stopped caring about calcio in the early 1600s. But in 1930, it started again in the Kingdom of Italy. Amateurs played it in streets and squares using balls made from cloth or animal skin. Today, three matches happen each year in Piazza Santa Croce in Florence during the third week of June. A team from each part of the city plays:

• Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues)
• Santa Maria Novella / Rossi (Reds)
• Santo Spirito / Bianchi (Whites)
• San Giovanni / Verdi (Greens)

The two winning teams from the first games play a final match on 24 June, which is the feast day of Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of Florence.

The most successful team since 1979 is Santa Croce / Azzurri (Blues) with over 20 wins. Sometimes, tournaments are cancelled because of rough play. Because of this, there are rules now, like players must live in Florence or have lived there for ten years, and players with certain legal problems cannot play.

Rules

Matches last 50 minutes and are played on a sandy field that is twice as long as it is wide, about 100 meters by 50 meters. A white line splits the field into two equal parts, and each end has a goal net stretching across the width.

Each team has 27 players, and injured or removed players cannot be replaced. The teams include four goalkeepers, three fullbacks, five halfbacks, and fifteen forwards. The captain and standard bearer stay at the center of the goal but do not play. They help organize the team and sometimes stop fights.

A referee and six linesmen manage the game together with a judge who stays off the field. The referee makes sure the game goes smoothly and steps in only to keep order if fights happen.

A small cannon or culverin signals the start of the game and each goal. The game begins when a special ball-carrier throws the ball toward the middle. The fifteen forwards from each team then compete in a rough match, trying to tire out the other team. Once enough players are stopped, the remaining teammates grab the ball and try to score a goal. The teams switch sides after each goal. Players must aim well because throwing or kicking the ball above the net gives a point to the other team. The game ends after 50 minutes, and the team with the most goals wins.

In the past, the winning team received a special type of cow called a Chianina, but now they just get a free dinner. The players do not receive any other rewards.

In popular culture

The famous Italian poet Gabriello Chiabrera wrote about Florentine football, saying it was very exciting and comparing it to old Roman gladiatorial games.

The comic book series Bitch Planet has an event called "Megaton". It is described as a modern version of an old Italian sport from the 1500s. In this game, teams can have any number of players, but together they cannot weigh more than 2,000 lb [910 kg]!

In the 2017 movie Lost In Florence, a former college football star played by Brett Dalton travels to Italy and starts playing calcio storico fiorentino.

In an episode of the TV series Medici: Masters of Florence, the main characters play a game of calcio storico fiorentino in Florence's main square.

In an episode of the TV show HAPPY!, a character says that hockey seems gentle compared to calcio storico fiorentino.

The novel The Mirror & the Light by Hilary Mantel describes a rough game of calcio storico fiorentino from the 1500s.

A 2020 Netflix series called Home Game has an episode about calcio storico fiorentino, showing players from a big match and telling its history.