Mittsommer - HahnAirport Magazin

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Die Vorausscheidungs-Spiele der vier Mannschaften
finden Mitte Juni statt, das Endspiel
am 24. Juni. Ihm geht traditionell ein historischer
Umzug voraus. Um Tickets sollte man
sich früh bemühen, vor allem für den Endkampf
sind die Tribünenplätze schnell vergriffen.
Anreise
Ryanair fliegt täglich nach Pisa. Von dort mit
dem Zug weiter nach Florenz. Der Bahnhof
befindet sich in Fußweite des Flughafens.
I NFORMATIONEN
Literatur:
Toscana
Reise Know How Verlag, Bielefeld
Toscana, Reisehandbuch und Karte
Michael Müller Verlag, Erlangen
Marco Polo Reiseführer Florenz
MairDumont, Ostfildern
Information:
Touristenbüro Firenze | Tourist office Firenze
Via Manzoni, 16
I-50121 Firenze
Tel.: +39 055 – 23320
http://www.firenze.turismo.toscana.it
Emilio gasps for air. His lungs are
burning, his body covered in sweat.
But Giovanni is doing worse.
His head covered in blood from a cut
above the eye. Right in the center of
Florence 54 men fight for victory. „Calcio
in Costume“ is the name of the battle.
A historic football match, for the Florentines
as important as the Oktoberfest
for the people from Munich.
“With this game,” explains the director of
the celebration’s committee,” we keep old
tradtitions alive.” During several centuries
citizens from different parts of town battled
each other for glory and victory. Today the
Calcio is a spectacle for the masses, put on
stage as the battles of the gladiators with an
impressive amount of spectacles taking place
before and after the Calcio. Around midday
already the participants come together
for the big parade right next to the main station.
The price for the winner, a small calf, is
also there.
The parade passes old palaces of the
nobles and ends right in the arena. Following
the players are troops in uniform,
drummers and trum peters, halberdiers and
knights. The flags of the Florentine guilds
dance in the wind. Merchants, judges, notaries,
doctors, pharmacists, furriers, butchers,
shoemakers, smiths, locksmiths, landlords
and many others.
HahnAirport Magazin · Frühjahr/Sommer 2007
21 groups that once controlled the town.
But all eyes are on the fighters. Im Mittelpunkt
aber stehen die Kämpfer. Their shirts
have a wide cut, the pants are puffed out.
That’s how you play 16th century football.
For a Calcio match you also need a goalie,
defensive and offensive players and runners.
The goals are huge nets at opposite sites of
the playfield. Not far away you can find a
tent for the captain and the cadet. A memory
of the past when the fight was actually training
for war. The young nobles who participated
were supposed to show bravery and
bellicosity. A sport already practiced by the
Romans and Greeks.
Traditionally the event took place during
carnival, but also for state visits and on
other occasions. A very well known match
took place in 1530 when the troops of the
emperor besieged Florence. The Florentines
organised the match for their enemy, to
show that they still had all their force and
were far from capitulating. Exactly 400 years
later the old game has been recreated. Including
the historical costumes, the Calcio tradition,
absent during the 18th century, was
reborn.
As always a canon shot signals the start
of the match, red versus green. Only seconds
Narrhalla
later the first players are already lying in the
sand of the arena, because Calcio is more
Edition
Rugby than football. Often even a wrestling Fotos: