Possibility to play soccer in Florence as a tourist

Katri

New member
Hello,
Does any of you know, if there is any soccerfield in Florence where my boys, 10 and 12 year-olds, could play either for free or charged while our family is vacationing there ( 8 days March-April)? They would be happier then going around visiting historic and artistic attractions. ;)
Appreciating your advice a lot,

Katri
 
difficult to play on the official soccer fields :/

Ciao Katri,

I understand the difficulty in getting two boys to be more interested in museums or history so it might be a bit tough, but there are some attractions you should consider that they might like:

1. Palazzo Vecchio: has itineraries for kids, where the palace is presented by someone dressed up as a historical persona and the kids have activities to do.
2. the Galileo science museum: kids can touch some instruments that show how some things work.

You can see a few more ideas at the end of this article:
http://www.visitflorence.com/itineraries-in-florence/a-weekend-in-florence.html

Also the Strozzi Palace generally offers some interactive, children's activity related to the current exhibit taking place. You can read more here: http://www.palazzostrozzi.org/Path.jsp?idPath=13

Finally, the book shop at Palazzo Vecchio has a good deal of books for kids that present the city and locations with sticker books, coloring books and more... I think you should get some as soon as you arrive and see if through that they are interested in seeing some of the locations, even if they don't care much about history or art in general, they might have fun trying to spot in real life what they see in the books. I recall seeing one that made going around a treasure hunt, with clues to go to each place and try to spot something in particular.

As for soccer, I wasn't sure about the fields so I asked other moms here in Florence if they could offer some suggestions (I have a 5 month old so haven't gotten to that point yet ;)). I was given some suggestions as well as told that it just isn't possible, unfortunately. I found out that the soccer fields are closed off to the public, only sports clubs with kids covered with insurance and proper certificates from their family doctor can go in and play on them, following very strict schedules as to who is on the field on certain times. It makes sense, I suppose, since soccer is so popular here... one place I called to ask said they have over 400 kids!! And that they can't open it to the public for that reason...

The best alternative is to bring a ball along (or buy one here) and head to the park to kick the ball around and burn off some energy. There are two big ones but not within the historical center, you'll need to head either to Le Cascine (there is a big green field to the side of the Piazzale J.F. Kennedy) or to Albereta, off Piazza Ravenna.
Both are parks that run along the Arno river but on opposite ends of Florence, so depending on where you stay one will be closer/easier to reach.

Hope I've helped offer some ideas, do let me know if you need some more!
 
Dear Lourdes,
thank you for your time and advice! I replied already by email, but I am not sure if you'll ever get it.
I am sure that my boys will enjoy themselves anyway dispite the lack of football in Florence. My husband plans to take them to a game, namingly Empoli's, since serie A games are all away-games that week. The reason why we will come to Tuscany is that one of my sons is taking part a footballtournament in Pisa at Easter. We decided to come 8 days earlier than the rest of his team. So eventually he gets to play after all.
We are quite a group- parents with 5 children ( a daughter 15 yrs and boys 12, 10, 3 and 1 yrs) with all different interests, so the advice of those child-friendly museums come in very handy. Thank You!

One more question: I have promised to take my daughter shopping. Where could we find nice clothes for reasonable prices. We have rented an apartment in the old city centre, but I guess the malls etc. are outside the citycentre and that's ok as far as we can get there by some means of public transportation.

Yours,

Katri
 
sounds like fun!

Ciao Katri,
Yes, I saw your email too!
Very glad to hear you're coming for a football tournament and going to see a game, I felt bad telling you the soccer fields were closed to the general public.... but in this case, they won't feel like they are completely with no football. You can reach Empoli easily by train from the SMN train station in Florence.
You will then definitely find something for everyone! And a week ahead let's you take time to enjoy what you see and not be in a rush.

As for shopping, I do recommend the outlets although you will find lots of shops in Florence as well that will offer a good amount of stylish choices for your daughter to pick out. Being central will be very convenient for everything, from shopping to heading out and about for day trips, to the outlets for example.
Here are details for getting to them from the SMN train station: http://www.discovertuscany.com/what-to-do-in-tuscany/shopping/outlet-in-tuscany.html
Probably the one in Barbarino has a bit wider variety of brands, while the Mall has more high-end designer brands (so while prices are reduced, they can still be high).

I hope your whole family enjoys Tuscany, especially the tournament in Pisa :)
 
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