There’s only one game in town when it comes to spectator sports: calcio. To Italians, soccer/football is akin to a second religion, and an afternoon at the stadium offers more insight into local culture than a lifetime in the Uffizi. Florence’s team, Fiorentina (nicknamed i viola, “the purples”), is often among the best in Italy’s top league, Serie A. You can usually catch them alternate Sundays from September through May at the Stadio Comunale Artemio Franchi, Via Manfredo Fanti 4 (www.violachannel.tv). Book tickets online or head for an official ticket office on arrival (you must have a photo I.D.): There is a sales desk on the Mercato Centrale’s upper floor and at Via dei Sette Santi 28R, open from 10am on match days. With kids, get seats in a Tribuna (stand) rather than a Curva, where the fanatical fans sit.
To reach the stadium, take match-day-only bus no. 52 or no. 17 from Santa Maria Novella. You can get kitted out in home colors at Alè Viola, Via del Corso 58R (tel. 055/295-306), or at stalls around the ground on match day.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before planning your trip.
