By Guneet Singh
All photos by author
Journalism student Guneet Singh explores her childhood in Florence.
When I chose Florence as my study abroad location, I knew it was a city that would give me a lot of experiences. But one experience I didn’t expect was being able to attend the opening ceremony of the Quidditch World Cup.
Yes, you read that right.
Quidditch, the fictional sport J.K. Rowling created in the Harry Potter series, is a real-life sport that was invented in 2005.
A Potterhead through and through, I couldn’t believe my luck when I found out the event was happening here! I’ve read all the Harry Potter books and as a child, Quidditch was the main sport I really understood.
The opening parade itself was a five minute walk from Corso Tintori, one of FUA’s main buildings. I got there early and saw dozens of people in red shirts with the words “International Quidditch Association” sprawled across the back.
This is real.
A couple hundred spectators circled the stadium. I didn’t have a ticket but was standing in the right place at the right time and got in to see the ceremony! I was at the front of a crowd spread out across the sides of the dirt field. Eager fans ranged from toddlers to frantic young adults to those a little older and just curious about what the commotion was about.
Music started and teams entered the stadium slowly. I saw teams from countries all over the world, like New Zealand, Australia and the United States of America. There was a myriad of female players, which only serves as a testament to the diversity and acceptance the Harry Potter series preaches.
It was incredible to see an event like this bring so many people together and it was the best way to kick off my first week in Florence!
The Quidditch World Cup will be happening in Florence until July 2nd.
See more of Florence and Italy at FUA’s FB, Instagram, and Twitter.
