Italian soccer has its origins in an ancient game called Harpastum, which was played during the days of the great Roman Empire. While this game appears to be a little hazy when examining the roots of present day soccer in Italy, a more direct relation can be drawn to the current form of the sport.
In the 16th century, a game called Calcio Fiorentino was widely played across the peninsula. The word Florentino comes from the place, Florence, where the game was first played. The sport began in the Piazza Santa Croce in the Tuscan region, and many famous personalities during those times took to the sport.
The remnant of the legacy of this game is in the word Calcio, which quite simply, translates to the word “kick”.
But the modern version of the game was brought into Italy during the 1880’s, when merchants who had been to England brought the game back to the peninsula. Sometimes it is also argued that British merchants brought the game when they came to ply their trade in the country. One way or another, the Azzurri as we know them today, got a taste of the game from the English.
Within a few years after soccer passed through the ports of the peninsula, the Italians took to the game as a butterfly takes to nectar and established their own competitions. An Italian soccer Championship was formed a little before the turn of the century, which eventually led to the formation of the Serie A as we know it today!
After over a century of soccer in the country backed up with four World Cup triumphs, the top-flight in the peninsula is considered to be one of the best in the world.