Matches between two sides of 27 players take place over a gruelling break-free 50 minutes and no substitutions are allowed even if there are injuries - and there are plenty of those. The annual tournament is made up of four teams comprising neighbourhoods Santa Croce (blue), Santa Maria Novella (red), Santo Spirito (white), and San Giovanni (green). The sport, played out annually in the Italian city's Santa Croce square, sees opponents challenged to knock seven bells out of one another, as well as score some points, with nothing more than glory on offer as the prize. With the FIFA World Cup fast approaching it feels like everybody is indulging in the beautiful game, even if that does involve strapping tattooed men of Florence in this fiercely violent 'alternative' to football, Calcio Storico.
