Florenz, Fußball bis aufs Blut (360° - GEO Reportage)

Florence, the cradle of the Renaissance, is a destination for millions of tourists from all over the world every year. As a result, the Tuscan metropolis is in danger of losing its authenticity and identity. However, the Florentines have preserved an ancient tradition in which only locals participate and which is inextricably linked to their city: "Calcio Storico Fiorentino" - Florentine Football. The game is tough, brutal, primitive, and has been popular in Florence since the late Middle Ages. For their showdown in costumes and according to 16th-century rules, the players receive neither money nor lasting fame. What counts is the honor of representing their own neighborhood in battle. 360° GEO Reportage experienced a different Florence – proud, tough men in the heart of the Tuscan dream city. A film by Alessandro Cassigoli © 2011, Licensed by MedienKontor / ARTE Season 13 - Episode 12 Click here for an exclusive interview with Biagio Cingolani:    • Bonus-Material zur 360° - GEO Reportage "F...   Subscribe to wocomoTRAVEL: https://goo.gl/tIk2Qc Follow us on Facebook:   / wocomo   Press release: Every year in June, the strongest and bravest Florentine men gather in colorful costumes in Piazza Santa Croce to play football. Four teams represent the four medieval districts: Santa Croce, Santa Maria Novella, Santo Spirito, and San Giovanni. This year, Biagio Cingolani is the leader of the Red Team and Marino Vieri is the leader of the White Team. The participants in Calcio Storico Fiorentino are all active athletes, training in rugby, boxing, or martial arts—which helps, because Florentine football is a mixture of all of the above. There are virtually no rules, and while fighting is forbidden, what an outsider sees isn't always a pretty sight: the close combat at Calcio Storico is almost always brutal and bloody. The players pull, scuffle, punch each other in the face, wrestle on the ground, or are wedged together—spurred on by the enthusiastic cheers of the spectators. Apart from their passion for the game, Marino and Biagio don't have much in common—one is an entrepreneur, the other a mosaicist. Doctors and lawyers also participate in the tough Florentine style of football—but the vast majority are representatives of traditional crafts. "You have to have the will to fight," says Biagio. "When I was a child, I watched the strong and gigantic men playing this violent game and wondered: Could I one day join in? I tried and had to face my fears. It's very difficult at first, but once you overcome the initial difficulties, you're playing the most beautiful game in the world, and it only exists here, in Florence."