“Gioco del Ponte”: the Game on the Bridge | Pisa

Every last Saturday in June, twelve teams of twenty players each face each other pushing with force and using their legs and necks, but not their arms, a very heavy cart running on rails, positioned in the middle of the Ponte di Mezzo on the Lungarni.

The objective is to advance until the flag of the enemy faction falls. The Gioco del Ponte involves six fights and a possible tie-breaker.

An ancient tradition, but today’s challenge probably stems from the ancient game of Mazzascudo, a very violent fight that took place in the Piazza delle Sette Vie, or Piazza dei Cavalieri. A battle-hardened city like Pisa had to keep its men constantly trained. The first version of the Gioco del Ponte would be none other than this fight held on the Ponte Vecchio, today’s Ponte di Mezzo.

Today, the 12 magistrature, divided into two parts called Mezzogiorno and Tramontana, no longer face each other with swords, shields and the violence that characterised the ancient version, but the strong desire to prevail in a challenge that gives great lustre to the winning teams persists.

Challenges can last from a few seconds to over 30 minutes: that is how long it can take for a judiciary to overwhelm its direct opponent.