27 men per team. A sand pit in Piazza Santa Croce. No rules except: no kicking in the head. Calcio storico is part rugby, part MMA, part Renaissance warfare. It’s played every June in Florence and it’s not for the faint-hearted.
Plan this trip →Three matches in June: two semi-finals + the final on June 24 (San Giovanni, Florence’s patron saint day). Piazza Santa Croce transformed into a sand arena. Kick-off typically 5–6pm.
4 teams representing Florence’s historic quarters: Santa Croce (Azzurri/blue), Santa Maria Novella (Rossi/red), Santo Spirito (Bianchi/white), San Giovanni (Verdi/green). 50 min match. The ball must be thrown into the opponent’s net. Everything between the throw and the goal is... negotiable. Punches, tackles, wrestling are all legal. Head-kicking and sucker-punching are the only clear fouls. Players are local men, not professionals — butchers, carpenters, bartenders. Pride, not money.
€20–70 for grandstand seats. On sale from May at Box Office Toscana (boxofficetoscana.it) or the Santa Croce ticket office. Sell out within days for the final. Semi-finals are easier to get. Free: the historical parade before the match is visible from the streets around Santa Croce.
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