Page 39 - PROTAGONIST 121

Pages 33-35, the procession before the Calcio Page 36, preparing the field before the final game begins.
Storico finals in 2015. Pages 38-39, teams playing Calcio Storico
The teams: Bianchi against Azzurri

Calcio Storico is an extreme sport: it resembles rugby, but almost

everything is allowed, including kicking, boxing, and wrestling
techniques. The goal of the competition is to get the ball (with your

hands or feet) into the opponent’s net.

Florence is a different place when you cross it slowly, in “Pay attention to the command,” shouts the Captain of
a procession, at the cadenced pace marked by the rhythm the Procession, drawing out his vowels, as everyone, on the
of the musicians’ drums. Time seems to stop in those en- field and in the bleachers, settles down and silently follows
chanting piazzas, filled with tourists taking pictures of you the formulas of the Salute. The exclamation “Viva Fiorenza!”
and fans cheering you on. The costumes, the flags, and the – which marks the end of the ceremony and which everyone
pageantry of the Procession take you back to the glory years shouts along with the Captain – is liberating: soon, the Pallaio
of this city, your city. To cross it from end to end, wearing cos- will toss the ball in and battle will begin.
tumes and regalia in the late-June heat, is grueling. The glare Calcio Storico is an extreme sport. In a direct elimina-
of the sun, the sweat stinging your eyes, the downcast gaze tion tournament, the four teams composed of twenty-seven
of your companions walking shoulder to shoulder with you, calcianti (“kickers”) who represent the Historical Quartieri
lost in their thoughts. And the wait: the exhausting wait for of Florence (Azzurri from Santa Croce in blue, Bianchi from
the battle to begin, the same wait that the militias (nowadays Santo Spirito in white, Rossi from Santa Maria Novella in red,
portrayed by the members of the Procession) suffered each and Verdi from San Giovanni in green), face off in a game that
time they had to face the enemy. resembles rugby, but where almost everything is allowed, in-
But everything changes when you step onto the sand cluding kicking, boxing, and wrestling techniques. The goal of
in beautiful Piazza Santa Croce and march to your place in the competition is to get the ball (with your feet or your hands)
the lineup for the “Salute with Cheers,” the command which into the opponent’s caccia, the net that extends across the
ritually introduces every match. The bleachers are packed short ends of the rectangular playing field. Thanks to the
and the fans shout from the stands, which take on the colors convergent popularity achieved in recent years by sports
of smoke bombs and are animated by chants. You see your like rugby, boxing, and, more recently, mixed martial arts, the
brother in the bleachers; bare-chested and in the company athletic level on the field is very high – and, as a result, so is
of friends, he is shouting at you to beat them up. Your wife the risk of injury. To participate, the calcianti must be born in
isn’t there; she didn’t come to see you. She never does, the Florence, or have resided there for at least ten years.
tension is unbearable. As you get into position, the adrena- The spectacular brutality of the game recently attract-
line rises and thoughts don’t count anymore. What counts ed the attention of the international media (from Netflix to
now is you, your courage, and that of your companions, to National Geographic) and, at the same time, forced the Mu-
whom you entrust your life because you know you can count nicipality, which organizes the tournament, to find ways to try
on them, even at a moment like this. to bring the event back within the realm of sporting fair play.

Protagonist Heritage 37