Rugby union in Italy called trigon, which involved three players passing a ball to one another by hand. The ball was usually small and hard, but occasionally it was a "follis" or large bladder-ball. Italy is home to a number of forms of traditional football, some of which have features which are more similar to rugby, than to association football, such as handling the ball. A prime example of this is "calcio fiorentino" played in Florence. The "Piazza Santa Croce" of Florence is the cradle of this sport, that became known as "giuoco del calcio fiorentino" ("Florentine kick game") or simply "calcio" ("kick"). The
Calcio Fiorentino attended a game of "bridge fighting" – put on in his honor during a visit to Venice. The king is recorded as saying: "Too small to be a real war and too cruel to be a game". Interest in "Calcio" waned in the early 17th century. However, in 1930 it was reorganized as a game in Kingdom of Italy, under Benito Mussolini. It was widely played by amateurs in streets and squares using handmade balls of cloth or animal skin. Today, three matches are played each year in "Piazza Santa Croce" in Florence in the 3rd week of June. A