On June 24th each year, Florence's main square turns into an arena for a sport which is a brutal combination of rugby, football, and wrestling. The Local explores the history of the unique tradition. Calcio Storico (Historical football) is a game thought up by 16th-century Florentines and as the name suggests, it's an early - and very violent - form of football. It was also known as giuoco del calcio fiorentino (Florentine kicking game) and was very popular several centuries ago. These days, your only chance to watch a match is in June, when four local teams battle it out in Florence to be crowned the champions. The whole city turns out to enjoy the spectacle.

How do you play? The game is played on a rectangular field with a length roughly twice as long as the width, and covered with sand. It's divided down the middle into two matching squares, with goal nets at each end. Two teams of 27 players take part in the matches which last for 50 minutes. No substitutions are allowed, even if there are injuries - which there often are. The ball is thrown into the centre of the pitch, and the teams descend on it in an effort to gain possession and kick it over a fence at the opposing team's end of the field.