Saint John's Day and Calcio Storico (Florence)
24 June 2026 — The ball is flying! Florence celebrates with a game and fireworks.
On 24 June the birth of Saint John the Baptist is celebrated. He is the patron saint of Florence, as well as of Turin and Genoa. The feast falls close to the summer solstice and six months before Christmas. In Florence these days bring Calcio Storico Fiorentino (Florentine historical football), an old ball game played in the square in front of the church of Santa Croce. Four teams, one for each historic quarter of the city, play the semi-finals, and the final is held on 24 June. The players wear Renaissance costumes, and parades with drums and flags precede the matches. In the evening fireworks, known as the “Fochi di San Giovanni”, are set off over the Arno river. The game is very rough, so it has strict rules. It is a living Florentine tradition that recalls the Renaissance city.
Flying across the sky: An ethereal, bluish-silver star figure made of bright dots and lines, like a constellation, in the shape of a Renaissance player in puffed striped breeches chasing a glowing ball across the night sky
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