Calcio Storico Fiorentino: construction of identity and violence

Abstract

In the last twenty years, “Calcio Fiorentino” has increased its diffusion, mainly thanks to the ICTs, which have raised interest in what has been defined as the “most violent sport in the world". The international projection of “Calcio Fiorentino” has created an important amount of material, relevant sources of information that invite to re-interpret this phenomenon, between cultural heritage and sport. The character of historical representation of a popular tradition is mixed with the elements of sports activity: competition, agonism, physical strength and violence. This paper focuses on the double aspect of “Calcio Fiorentino”, only apparently contradictory: history and present allow us to capture specific characteristics of current sport and its relationship with spaces, cultural traditions, and new conflicts. On one hand, the representation and re-enactment of “Calcio Fiorentino” suggests a reflection on the transformation of violence in modern sport. On the other hand, we consider the delicate balance between traditions, identities and conflicts, in the context of urban metamorphosis