Historic football: played the game Siege

The 17 February 1530 Piazza Santa Croce in Florence was the scene of one of the most important challenges of the Florentine Republic Emperor Charles V, when the population besieged for many months by the imperial troops, tried his hand at a football match, giving the impression of not considering the Empire army worthy of attention.

The City of Florence in collaboration with the Association 50 minutes and the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, marking this date as the true historical re-enactment to which they relate the exploits historical institution of the Game booklet Florentine.

"It is the game of the pride of the Florentines - said the President of the Calcio Storico Fiorentino Michele Pierguidi - and the party of Florence. Tuesday's game 17 February is the first act of the 2015 Football History, a decisive season for the whole movement ".

It is the game, one called Siege, taken as a reference point for the demonstrations historic towns, for the historical procession of the Florentine Republic and for every historical reference reminiscent official of the city of Florence.

When back in 4 may 1930 were restored traditions and folk festivals in Tuscany, the Game of Football made its way as a historical re-enactment for the pleasure of the Florentines and strangers.

The approach was to look at that famous match the join, to set the folk tradition town, (not so the Medici and their impositions ducal and grand-ducal) the Republican period and only true source of freedom popular.

With this wonderful initiative of Old Glories of the Calcio Storico Fiorentino then begins a true path that brings to the fore the true traditions of the city and Florentine.

The 17 February 2015, After 485 years since that glorious day, in Piazza Santa Croce has played a game reminiscent of the time in the historic ambience.

Were erected wooden palisades, placed on the ground bales of hay and straw to protect the limits of the field, and was lying across the square sand necessary to form a field of Calcio Fiorentino.

54 Calcianti, 2 Captains, 2 Alfieri, 4 Spugnaioli, took to the field, Bianchi against Verdi as tradition and as it was described by Benedict Varchi in his Florentine Histories.

For the occasion,, the kicking of Old Glories that took to the field have been renamed with the names of the characters Florentine period divided into two teams.

White team
Captain: Count Gherardo della Gherardesca
Ensign: Barbarossa 'Bartoli
Spugnaioli: Mariano da Montemaggio, Jacopo Micceri
Calcianti: Morticino Antinori, Giovanni Nerli, Alamanno de 'Pazzi, Giovanni de 'Bardi, Giovanni Ricasoli, Alamanno Alamanni, Goro to Montebenichi, Filippo Arrighetti, Vincenzo Maria Capponi, Antonio Rabatti, Filippo del Nero, Tommaso Soderini, Lorenzo di Castiglione, Filippo Guadagni, Henry Prince of Condé, Giordano Martelli, Ceseri Bourbons, Napoleone Orsini, Jacopo Giocondi, Tullio Warrior, Tommaso Rinuccini, Ottaviano Conti, Thomas Ghelandi, Averardo Salviati, Giovanni Francesco Ridolfi.

Team Green
Captain: Sinibaldo Gaddi
Ensign: Raffaello da Cortona
Spugnaioli: Zanobi Bartolini, Bali Pucci
Calcianti: Hunting Altoviti, Dante da Castiglione, Francesco de 'Medici, Roberto Albizzi, Piero Strozzi, Giuliano Capponi, Raffaello Rondinelli, Francesco Guicciardini, Reinforced by the Borgo, Lyon Ricasoli, Piero degli Alfani, Blacks Capponi, Salvestro Aldobrandini, Jerome Carducci, Scipione Gaddi, Giovan Battista Bini, Anguillotto from Pisa, Maffeo Barberini, Nicholas of Morca, Piero Altoviti, Pier Francesco Rinuccini, Giovanni da Turin, Francesco Valori, Vincenzo Torrigiani, Cammillo Calves.

"The real winners - said Uberto Bini, one of the promoters of the event - were Florence and the Florentines who flocked in Piazza Santa Croce to review the historic football with families ". They were attended by the highest authorities of the city led by Mayor Dario Nardella, the president of football historian Michele Pierguidi and Luciano Artusi fundamental character for this event.

In addition to local authorities, many were the celebrities invited to attend the game Siege, all direct descendants of the ancestors of that historical period, among which: Charles of Hapsburg successor of Charles V, Beatrice Queen of Holland descendant of Philibert of Chalon Prince of Orange, Countess Alessandra Oddi Baglioni descendant of Malatesta Baglioni, Girolamo Guicciardini successor Francesco Guicciardini.

At the end of the "Game of Pride" was inaugurated, at the Guelph palace, the exhibition of Alessandro Vannini which consists initially of 20 works; even if the author will draw on the spot, days of exposure, adding and removing other works. The exhibition will continue until 25 February and will be open during the hours 10-12,30 and 15-17 Monday to Saturday.

Michael Lattanzi

By the number 52 - Year II 18/02/2015