And you thought baseball was a classic sport…

My roommate and her friend took me out today to witness an annual tradition in Pisa, called “il gioco del ponte” (the game of the bridge). In this sport, squads from both sides of the Fiume Arno compete. The team from the north, Tramontana, and the team from the south, Mezzogiorno, each approach the bridge dressed in medieval garb. Following much pomp and formality, the two squads take their places on opposing sides of a giant sled. At the signal, the players begin to push until one team successfully forces the sled all the way to its opponent’s flag at one end of the bridge. The crowd didn’t get quite as riled as they might for a soccer game, but it was still an interesting event. Heck, I even got to see my team (Tramontana) win!