On June 24th each year, Florence's main square turns into an arena for a sport that's a brutal combination of rugby, football, and wrestling. The Local explores the history of this unique tradition.

Calcio Storico (Historical football) is a game thought up by 16th-century Florentines and as the name suggests, it's an early - and very violent - form of football. It was also known as giuoco del calcio fiorentino (Florentine kicking game) and was very popular several centuries ago.

These days, your only chance to watch a match is in June, when four local teams battle it out in Florence to be crowned the champions. The whole city turns out to enjoy the spectacle.

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