The Calcio Storico Fiorentino 2018

FLORENCE, ITALY - JUNE 09: Men in traditional dress wait before the semi-final match of The Calcio Storico Fiorentino between between the Santa Maria Novella (Red) Team and Mixed Team (Violet) at Piazza Santa Croce on June 9, 2018 in Florence, Italy. The Calcio Storico (Historical Football in English) Fiorentino is an early form of football, originating in the 1500's. It is a combination of football, rugby and wrestling. The official rules of calcio were written for the first time in 1580 by Giovanni de Bardi, a count from Florence. Originally the calcio (which is also the name for modern day football/soccer in Italy) was played for rich aristocrats, and even popes were known to play. Now, annually during a weekend in early June, four teams representing the districts of Florence face each other in the first semi-finals. The winners go to the final, played every year on June 24, the day of the patron saint of Florence, St. John the Baptist. The winner is honoured with a cow. The teams are formed by 27 players and the ball can be played either with feet or hands. They can fight using tactics such a punching, elbowing and all martial arts techniques, but kicks to the head are forbidden, as are fights of two or more against one. There is a referee, a field master, and six linesmen. A game lasts 50 minutes, and the winning team is the one who scores most points. The playing field is a giant sand pit with a narrow slit constituting the goal running the width of each end. Calcio Storico was not played for 200 years, until its revival in 1930. In this year's edition, La Santa Croce Azzurri (Blue) Team has declared itself unable to participate in the tournament and is replaced by a mixed team composed of players from Santo Spirito Bianchi (White) Team and San Giovanni Verdi (Green) Team. (Photo by Massimiliano Donati/Awakening/Getty Images)