Viva Fiorenza

From a game for fearless young aristocrats il CALCIO STORICO FIORENTINO was also played on the frozen Arno Rive it became a manifesto for freedom. On February 17, 1530, Florence was besieged by one of the most powerful armies of that time, that of Charles V of Habsburg, the emperor on whose lands, it was said, the sun never set. And while the threatening drums of the besiegers beat, the Florentines, contemptuous of danger, staged in Piazza Santa Croce, well in sight of the enemy, a football match to celebrate Carnival, although the city was exhausted by hunger. This became an event that the historical Florentine memory sculpts and sanctifies. From a game into history, for centuries the defining moment of a collective mood that is not only transmitted through stories, but that every Florentine holds within, was replayed.

In the ''Cerimonia del Saluto'' you will hear all the words that bring back the respect for the opponent.

When the arena of Calcio shouts the phrase VIVA FIORENZA at the top of its lungs, the emotions are expressed in their fullness and every time a deep affection for Florence is born inside each of us.

UNESCO listing: Historic Centre of Florence

Recorded by Cristina Italiani and Luca Romagnoli. 

IMAGE: Comune di Firenze - http://www.comune.firenze.it/viverefirenze/itinerario3/tratti/tratto1.html Comune di Firenze

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This sound is part of the Sonic Heritage project, exploring the sounds of the world’s most famous sights.

Find out more and explore the whole project: https://www.citiesandmemory.com/heritage