Soccer dominates Italian sporting culture, yet there are several other sports one can engage in while in Florence. Whether you are looking to cheer on horses, catch a foul ball or see a sport that you have never heard of, Florence has many events to offer.
Rugby: Although seen as the evil step-brother to both American football and soccer, rugby does have a presence in Florence. The city has multiple teams for people of all ages, so there is no telling who you will see playing when you go to the practice pitch. The senior team is called Aeroporto Firenze and still has a number of games to play before the season ends in May. Even though they aren’t professional, it would be fun to see a rugby game in Italy. For more information go to www.firenzerugby1931.it
Basketball: Although not the same status as the Los Angeles Lakers, Fiorentina does have its own professional basketball team. The team is called Enegan Firenze and is part of the Italia-DNA Silver league. The team plays other local cities such as Lucca, Roseto and Bari. Despite being in second to last place with an 8–14 record, the team would love international support. It would also be fun to see how Italian basketball compares to American basketball with March Madness coming up! For more information go to www.affricobasketfirenze.com or call 055 53 85 922. The office is located at Viale Paoli, 20.
Baseball: Baseball is a great sport to watch with spring right around the corner. MLB spring training won’t start for a while, so why not take the time to visit another team? The Fiorentina baseball field is located a couple of blocks from the Fiorentina soccer stadium and is wonderful to go watch on an afternoon. The team is currently in Series C but has had success in the past in Series A. For more information go to www.fiorentinabaseball.it or email [email protected]
American Football: Just because Americans are the only ones who watch it, doesn’t mean they are the only ones who play it! Guelfi Firenze is the American football team in Florence and currently plays in the second league under the Italian Federation of American Football. Although the season is over, the team would love to play with Americans. Spend an afternoon with the team running up and down the field, catching footballs or showing them how good you are at the American sport. For more information go to www.guelfifirenze.it or call 339 70 12 020.