Paper short abstract:

Calcio Storico Fiorentino is the violent re-enactment of a Renaissance game. Since its “reinvention” in 1930 by the local Fascist leaders, it has represented a contested field for the expression and definition of masculinity and ever-changing (sometimes clashing) “imagined” Florentine identities

Paper long abstract:

Calcio Storico Fiorentino (CSF) is the re-enactment of a local Renaissance game, “calcio”, and particularly of the “siege match” of 1530, played by the soldiers of the Republic of Florence to both encourage themselves and to mock the besieging troops of Charles V, who wanted to take control of the city. The current celebrations include a parade in Renaissance costumes and a calcio tournament, which consists of a radically violent ball game. Since its “reinvention” in 1930 with the support of the Fascist leaders, CSF has been a contested field for the expression and definition of masculinity and “imagined” Florentine identities, and a useful piece of heritage for different political purposes. In the 1930’s, it served as a tool for consolidating political consensus and reinforcing fascist rhetoric about brave and masculine Italian “roots”. After WWII, CSF was immediately reintroduced by the communist leaders to promote tourism and create sociality in a period of reconstruction. The narrative of the siege match was thus reversed, becoming a symbol of Florentines’ self-determination and resistance to authoritarian power (the ideal of the “free Republic”). In recent years, the neoliberal commodification of Florence’s cultural heritage has changed the social conformation of the city, forcing residents to move to peripheral areas. Consequently, CSF has become a symbolic way for the participants to resist the tourist “invasion” of the most identitarian part of their city, the heritagised historical center where CSF takes place. By participating in the festival, the participants claim their part in Florence’s celebrated history.