This square was cleared in the Middle Ages to allow the faithful to gather when the church itself was full. In Savonarola's day, heretics were executed here. Such an open space inevitably found other uses, and from the 14th century it was often the colourful scene of jousts, festivals and calcio storico matches. The city's 2nd-century amphitheatre took up the area facing the western end of Piazza di Santa Croce: Piazza dei Peruzzi, Via de' Bentaccordi and Via Torta mark the oval outline of its course.
Still played in this square in the third week of June each year, calcio storico (www.calciostorico.it) is like a combination of football and rugby with few rules (headbutting, punching, elbowing and choking are allowed, but sucker-punching and kicks to the head are forbidden).
