Calcio Fiorentino

Yesterday was a big day of walking, day drinking, and sport - something likely to continue into today, and so the day started off slow. We decided we should go back and see the things from yesterday that we're missed as well as investigate the other areas around Rome. We decided the best way to do this was on Lime Scooters, and it was a revolutionary idea. I had spent endless hours walking previously, and although not an issue in Florence, in Rome, it was a much better way to get around and see everything. As such we went past the Collosseum again and saw all 360 degrees of it in a few minutes, then went and saw Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, as well as Trajans Column and the rest of the monuments in Piazza Venezia. Trajans Column was another bucket list item for me as I have heard many stories and podcasts about it, and so seeing it in person was an awesome experience for me.

We knew today was going to be an equally big day for both site seeing and sport. Italy and Florence, in particular, is known for their history. But one small quirk that I did not expect to stumble across while travelling was the Calcio Fiorentino. This is a sport from the Middle Ages, the rules of which I do not fully understand, but based on the videos I had seen, I understood that it was essentially bare knuckle boxing with a ball. My tour guide had explained the sport to us during my tour in Florence but I had no idea the day was so soon when he had told us. To celebrate the Saints day for Saint John the baptist, the streets of Florence bustle with festivities and markets. It is something I would have loved to witness, but my minor changes of plans to my schedule meant I missed it (although I had no idea about the holiday until the tour). In fact, only when a violent video appeared on my phone did I make the connection that it must have been the traditional sport played in Florence that was described by my tour guide. When I saw what the event truly encapsulated, I had to check the day of it. It was the very next day, and that day had come. I told Jack we had to see it, and we spent the first part of our day investigating pubs where it may be played. We figured our best bet was to go to the same Scottish pub that had the origin and boasted itself as the best sports pub in Italy. Thanks are due to dad once again for finding this place in the first place, as I meant I got to see both sporting events. That being said, even when we arrived and mentioned the game, none of the workers had heard of it. Despite being huge in Florence, no one knew of it in Rome. None the less they assured us that if they could play it, they would, so after a lunch feed there, we made our way back to the second day of skating.

This time, it was the Semi Finals, and so the skaters had stepped it up majorly. The girls started in the afternoon, and so we started watching them with a few beers once again and saw some unreal skating from teenagers that were destroying the female competition.

Eventually, the rain hit. The first time we had basically seen a rain cloud the whole trip and, as such, it as timed perfectly to make our way to the pub to attempt to watch the Calcio Fiorentino. This sport did not disappoint, and Jack and I were quite drunk by this point. With most people trying to enjoy an afternoon beer, we essentially forced them to watch street fighting with us yelling in the background. The poor group of French people in front of us had no idea what was going on, but neither did we. We were just enjoying the moment. In the end, it was a blow out which took away from it a bit, but to say it wasn't heated would be a lie. Multiple fights had broken out before the ball was even on the pitch, and one of the veterans of the sport was sent off. To this day, I am unsure how you could get sent off in a sport that seems to have no rules, but that was his final game before retirement. So it was quite a sad event for him, but it must have riled up his team because they ended up destroying the other team. Santa Maria Novella was the team that won, which is the suburb I stayed in when in Florence, so I'm claiming them as my team. A win for them is a win for me. After that, we made our way back to the skating for the men's competition.

To one up my photo with Chris Joslin, Jack and I got a photo with Nyjah Huston - the best skater of the last decade. This was just before he destroyed the competition during a great day of skating. With some more drinking, by the end of it we were pissed and ready to head home. It was just Jack and I now, so we weren't planning on going out or anything like that now. We were more keen for bed. But right as we left, we saw Shane O'Neil leaving the event, and after fangirling hard over him and asking for a photo, he said he would come back for one. But he never came back :(

With a sad end to a great day, we headed home to go to bed.Read more