Ciao! This week my study abroad group had a special surprise because we were in Florence for the festival of the Patron Saint of San Giovanni! Every year, on June 24th, Florence celebrates the feast of its patron saint, San Giovanni, with a series of events throughout the city of Florence, Italy. Florence celebrates San Giovanni by hosting the feast day for its patron saint, St. John the Baptist (San Giovanni). It is considered the “symbol of moral rectitude and political correctness”. In the morning, I watched a historical parade throughout the city that ended with a mass in the Duomo. The parade consisted of men and women playing Italian music through the streets of Florence, and they were wearing colorful and historical costumes. After the parade, I watched the famous final game of the Calcio Storico Fiorentino, also known as the final game for historic Florentine football. While my friends and I were eating lunch we watched the match on TV, and it was very exciting. The Tradition dates to around the 15th century! The game of Calcio Storico Fiorentino is like a mix of wrestling, rugby, and soccer and was very violent. The final match was between a team from Santa Croce, playing against a team from Santa Maria Novella. Santa Maria Novella won which was super exciting because that was the team my friends and I were rooting for! After the game ended there was another parade that was fun to watch as there were people dressed in time-period costumes and playing historical Florentine music. After the game my friends and I went to a rooftop restaurant to get a good seat to watch the firework show that night. I ended the night by watching the famous firework display that is set off from Piazzale Michelangelo which can be seen throughout the city. The fireworks were spectacular, and they went on for about 30 minutes. They completely lit up the entire city of Florence. It was so special to be able to celebrate this annual celebration in Florence!