Calcio Storico 2012 Azzurri
Calcio Storico has been an event that Florentine’s have been waiting for all year. It is a medieval game that has been around since 145o and used to be played with prisoners. It is a mix of boxing, soccer, rugby and hockey with one goal: get the ball behind the opposing players wall. They can use any force necessary (punching, kicking, etc.) in order to get the win and there are no rules. It is common to see players taken off by stretchers and have broken bones by the end. For those Hunger Games fans, it was basically a real life version of it.
There are 4 teams made up of the districts of Florence and my district happens to be “Santa Croce” which is Azzurri (blue). The players are massive and if you can imagine the craziest fan base you know and times that by 10 you’ll have the crowd at Calcio Storico. They threw their water bottles at the players to distract them, the cheer nonstop altogether, and they WILL give you dirty looks if you sit down. They have flags, smoke guns, whistles and everything possible in order to help their team win.
It was intense, and all I can say is thank god our side won otherwise I don’t know how it would’ve gone! We ended up winning 11-0 beating the Santa Maria Novella district which is red. Now our team faces Bianca, which is the district on the other side of the Arno in the finals on the 24th. The game was overwhelming, interesting and addicting to watch all at the same time. The game ended with the players throwing out carnations into the stands for the victory.
must read.
7 of us went canyoning today which is where we spent the day in the Tuscan countryside jumping off of and sliding down mountains/waterfalls. We all had helmets on and harnesses to protect us but it was one of the most exhilarating moments of my life. After doing that for 3 hours, we went to this small restaurant that is in a town with a population of 100 people. They brought out this massive cast iron pan that had fresh pasta and sauce to give us all 2 servings. It was some of the best food I’ve had so far.
If that doesn’t sound good enough our tour guide, Simone, then brought us to a villa rental property which is conveniently located NEXT DOOR to Leonardo Da Vinci’s home. It was amazing. On the property it had these great views with tons of cherry trees which ended up being our snack for the rest of the day.
We came home and ended the night by watching the sunset while eating Hazelnut Gelato with Nutella and waffle cone pieces swirled through it.
p e r f e c t i o n.
sweet summertime
My roommate Hiba and I were on the search for the perfect tanning spot which we found conveniently located in the Arno River. Many locals seem to use the river dam as the their own beach which made for a relaxing Monday afternoon. After that it was homework and laundry all day long!
Lastly, since I was here I became Financial Officer of the organization, Wishmakers at USF which works with Make-A-Wish Foundation, Autism Speaks U – at USF added ten new members, and I was offered an internship with Nielsen Company to work in their Global Trade department with buying and selling international businesses. OH. And I am officially a Senior in college – YIKES!
Here are a few top things for me in Florence:
- Best gelateria: La Carreria which is located on the other side of the Arno and is very cheap with around 25 flavors to choose from.
- Best gelato flavor: fondente (dark chocolate) or ananas (Pineapple)
- Best pizzeria: Gusto Pizza. 5 euros for a whole pizza and it is simply the best.
- Best view of Florence: Michelangelo Piazza – it’s beautiful.
- Best market: San Ambrosio (highly debatable!) small, but cheaper than San Lorenzo
- Best supermarket: Billa. Clean, friendly but don’t ask the baker for anything in English. She only speaks Italian and becomes frustrated when you can’t understand. Oh and they play Shania Twain there – ‘nough said!
- Best place to get pasta: Yellow Bar or O.K Bar. YUM!
- Must do: Shop on the Ponte Vecchio, go to a secret bakery, see the statue of David and the Gucci museum and rub the lucky pig statue for good luck!
