Funky football in Florence

Each year Florence hosts a testosterone-fuelled game of football, with a twist on what spectators usually expect from the sport.

That's because every June Florentines play football 15th-century style, complete with a lot more contact than onlookers may be used to.

In a tribute to an ancient Roman ball sport, historically played in 1530 by the soldiers of Carlo V during the siege of the city, young men representing the four Florentine quarters of San Giovanni (in green), Santa Maria Novella (in red), Santo Spirito (in white) and Santa Croce (in blue) battle it out to prove their skill and strength.

Competitors don traditional 15th-century costume while taking part in the sport, in the event that was revitalised in 1930.

The complicated game, which has a number of rules, is played in a tournament with the four teams, which are each composed of 27 players.

Every year one of the cities of Genoa, Venice, Pisa or Amalfi host the Regatta of the Ancient Maritime Republics, which involves them battling it out in a boat race, commemorating the medieval history of the four regions.