Gioco del Ponte

The first recorded edition of the Gioco del Ponte (Game of the Bridge) can be traced to 22 February 1568. The Ponte Vecchio, corresponding to the present-day Ponte di Mezzo, was chosen for the Battle.

The aim was to take control of some or all of the positions occupied by the opposing district. Players from each of the two districts, Tramontana and Mezzogiorno, were divided into teams of 50 or 60 soldiers, each sporting its own colours and banners.

The leading figures of the battle were involved in direct physical clashes and were fitted with armour, a helmet (morione) and ‘targone’, a type of lime or poplar wood shield. At over a metre long and weighing more than two and a half kilos, this oblong, asymmetrical shield with rounded edges was also used rather improperly as a weapon. These clashes became known for their distinctly violent nature.

Grand Duke Peter Leopold thought little of the Gioco del Ponte and was so exasperated by the competitiveness and aversion to Florentine rule that it embodied that he refused to consent to any further Battles following the 1785 edition. This ban remained in place until 1807, the only edition of the 19th century.

The Gioco was resumed in 1935, following a 128-year interruption, with the same format as the editions of old. The post-war period saw the invention of a mechanical trolley devised to avoid direct clashes. The trolley was to be pushed in opposite directions by the opposing factions.

The event is traditionally held on the last Saturday or Sunday of June and is preceded by a Historical procession of over seven hundred figures. The Tramontana and Mezzogiorno troops parade simultaneously and separately along the four Lungarni adjoinging the Ponte di Mezzo; there is also a third procession comprising 81 judges.

The late 16th-century Spanish style costumes worn by the participants are a spectacular sight. The costumes were created for the 1935 edition and are based on the sketches by art critic Fortunato Bellonzi, inspired by the prints of the Medici period.

The impressive effort that the twenty heavy-set members of each team put into every moment of the competition is really something to see. The winner, and thus master of the Bridge, is the team that manages to push the trolley and their opponents to the other end of the sliding rails.