The history of Florence is written by its inhabitants and this is the history of the ‘Irreducible‘, a cheerful group of Florentines who have come together every Saturday to play football for more than 50 years.
These ‘boys’ have decided to tell their story in a self-published book ‘The diehards 1971-2024’ which will be presented in the Visitor Center Conference Room in Piazza della Stazione 4 at 3.30 pm on Wednesday 8 May.
A piece of Florence
The story of the Irriducibili is born a spring Sunday in 1971 in the Quercione meadow of the Cascine Park. The cousins Ermanno and Stefano Lavacchi they call friends, acquaintances, even the postman, to play football, starting a tradition that will continue over time, changing location and date. In fact, there are 8 playing fields in which the Irriducibili clashed: le Cascine, Careggi, Bisarno, Pignone, Gualandi (Virtus Florence), San Marcellino, South Florence, Affrico. The current appointment is every Saturday morning in South Florence.
In all, 420 people were involved in these 50 years of gaming. We don’t even know the surname of some, because they made brief appearances, a match and so on. About 50 people have, however, released interviews in the book telling anecdotes and stories, photographing with words a moment, an anecdote, a goal or a save of these 50 years of Florentine passion.
The book
The idea of writing the book was born in 2020, when the world stopped due to the Covid 19 pandemic. A moment in which to think and understand that all these memories cannot be lost. Over the course of 4 years, testimonies, photos, statistics, memories of 50 years of Florence lived among football fields, laughter and some controversy.
The event
Appointment at 3.30 pm, the Squillo di Chiarina of the Calcio Storico Fiorentino trumpets will mark the start of the presentation.
The birth and history of Irriducibili will be told by Luca Giannelli, the publisher, Maurizio Pollastri, Alberto Panizza and Roberto Vinviguerra. This will be followed by speeches by sports doctor Nicola Armentano and sports psychologist Elena Giannini, followed by final greeting from the Councilor for Welfare and Education of the Municipality of Florence.
