Calcio Storico – Match of the Siege 2018

On February 17, 1530, Florence was besieged by the army of Carlo V and Pope Clemente VII, in an attempt to bring the Medici Family back to the city. At that time, instead of celebrating the Carnival, the people played a match of Calcio Storico, to make fun of the attackers.

To remember that fateful day, on February 17, 2018, the players of Calcio Storico will return to the same field, in front of the Basilica di Santa Croce, for the Match of the Siege. The game will take place between 3.45 pm and 4.35 pm.

Calcio Storico is an early form of football that originated in 16th-century Italy, a mix of soccer, rugby and wrestling. The game, which lasts only 50 minutes, is violent, and often ends up bad for some of the players. After the match, however, the players are friends again, as supporters of the local football team, ACF Fiorentina.