Sport

Born in Poggibonsi in 2003, but castellan of residence.
From the first kicks to the ball with the Castelfiorentino, but at the age of 8 years arrives in the youth of Empoli where he goes between the Spring and the First Team.
He made his debut for the Under-18 national team, scoring a brace for Austria and was included in the Top 11 of the Spring 2020/2021 Championship. He graduated Italian champion with the formation of Empoli spring scoring a brace in the final against Atalanta and receiving the Piermario Morosini as best player of the championship. In 2022 he made his debut in Serie A, while on 31 August 2022 he scored his first goal in Serie A, in his second game as a starter, against Hellas Verona.
He is considered one of the future talents of Italian football. He also participated in an internship with Roberto Mancini’s Italian National Team. In January 2024 he joined Roma, coached by former World Champion Daniele De Rossi.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1949.
He debuted in Serie A in 1969, in Fiorentina, fresh champion of Italy, remaining there for two seasons. In 1971 it comes down in Series B in the Cesena, but hardly a year after returned in maximum category where for three championships, until 1975, it was titular in the defense of the L.R. Vicenza. From 1975 to 1977 he moved to the newly promoted Perugia. He then moved to Genoa where he played a championship in A and one in B. It passed finally to the Pistoiese, where it guided the defense of the orange ones that in 1980 conquered the historical promotion in the maximum Italian series, to which the Tuscan team approached for the first and up to now only time from the institution of the only round. He will remain in Pistoia for another four years, collecting with the orange jersey 181 appearances until the final withdrawal from soccer, which took place in 1985. Berni collected 428 presences and 5 nets between Serie A and B.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1982.
He began coaching at a young age, landing in the A Series as an assistant at only 22 years old. After a brief experience at Viola Reggio Calabria, in 2006 he moved on to Mens Sana Siena, with whom he stayed for eight years, where he was assistant coach of the first team and coach of the youth teams. On July 7, 2014 he becomes the new coach of Fulgor Omegna. He then moves to Leonessa Brescia, where he remains on Andrea Diana’s staff for three seasons. In 2019 he becomes Luca Banchi’s deputy at Lokomotiv Kuban’ in Russia. On February 17, 2020 he is hired by Dąbrowa Górnicza in Poland. Since 2021 he is the coach of Brescia in Serie A with which he won the 2023 Italian Cup, and the Italian U20 national team.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1926.
He was a Goalkeeper. He plays two seasons in Serie B with Empoli before going to Inter where he plays in Serie A for three seasons. In 1952/1953 it changes jersey passing to the Udinese and then the year after to the Torino, always in Series A. From 1955 to 1958 he defended the posts of Catania in Serie B. He finished his career with the jersey of Poggibonsi in the Interregional.

Born in Empoli in 1989.
He grows up in the youth sector of Castelfiorentino (where he lives and grows up), and of Empoli then, where he enters in 1999. In 2007 he is inserted in the first team and in the UEFA list, spending a season as third goalkeeper. In 2008 it passes in loan to the Manfredonia, in Pro League. He returns with the Tuscans, with whom he debuts on December 2, 2009 in Catania-Empoli (2-0), match valid for the fourth round of the Coppa Italia, while the debut in Serie B is dated May 15, 2010 against AlbinoLeffe. With the arrival of Alfredo Aglietti on the bench of the Tuscans is deployed with more continuity, until it becomes the starting goalkeeper of the rose, May 30, 2014, after the victory of Empoli on Pescara, gets promotion in the top flight. However, in 2014 he is sold on loan to Pisa. He debuts with the Pisans and in Serie C. In 2015 he returns to Empoli. On April 10, 2016 he makes his debut in Serie A in the derby of the Arno won 2-0 against Fiorentina providing an excellent performance, which earns him another five appearances during the year. In 2017 he leaves Empoli being purchased outright by Brescia in Serie B, where he does not total even one presence. In 2018 he transfers to Arezzo on a permanent basis. In 2019 he is purchased by Palermo dropped in Serie D after the bankruptcy, deciding to wear the shirt number 1 and becoming one of the staples of the rosanero team, contributing to the immediate promotion to Serie C and Serie B. Now he wears the Novara shirt in Serie C.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1979
He is a swimmer of the Italian National Team. His international career began in 2000 when he achieved eighth place in the 5 km at the European Championships in Helsinki. He boasts 2 bronze medals at the World Championships in Montreal, Canada, 1 gold and 1 silver medal at the 2002 World Open Water Championships in Sharm el Sheik, Egypt, and 1 bronze medal in Naples, Italy, in 2006. 1 silver at the 2004 World Short Water Championships in Indianapolis, USA. He won two gold medals at the European Championships in Eilat (Israel) in 2011 and in Piombino in 2012, 2 silver medals in Budapest in 2010 and a bronze medal in Budapest in 2006. He also boasts a second place at the 2005 LEN Cup in Seville, a victory in the World Cup in 2009 and 13 individual titles in the Italian Championships.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1918.
He was an Italian weightlifter, fifteen times national champion in the shot put and once in the discus throw.
He is the Italian athlete who has won the most national titles, tied with the discus thrower Adolfo Consolini. In his career he boasts 26 presences in the national team (from 1937 to 1954) and he was an Olympic finalist in the 1952 edition of the Games in Helsinki. He won a silver medal at the European Championships in Brussels in 1950 and a gold medal at the first ever edition of the Mediterranean Games held in Istanbul in 1949 and a silver medal at the 1951 edition in Alexandria, Egypt.

Born in Melbourne (Australia) in 1979, but lives in Castelfiorentino.
He debuts in the maximum Australian series in 1996-1997 with the Canberra Cosmos, and the following year he moves to Carlton where he plays 19 games and scores 2 goals. In 1998-1999 he is transferred to Empoli, in Serie A, where he plays 5 games. He moves to Ternana in Serie B, and at the end of the year he returns to Empoli, where he will play from 2001 to 2004 between Serie B and Serie A before being transferred to Parma where he plays for three years and where he was also captain on some occasions. In 2007/2008 he moved to Torino and then 4 years in the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers before returning to Australia with Melbourne Heart.
He played 47 matches with the Australian national team, including the challenge against Italy at the 2006 World Cup in Germany (being included in the FIFA Team of the event). With the “Socceroos” he won the Oceania Cup in 2004.
He is currently Vice President and CEO of Catania Calcio.

Born in Empoli in 1998, but castellana.
He began his career in volleyball with the Polisportiva I’Giglio of Castelfiorentino, then moved in 2014 to CUS Siena where he played for 2 years in the Under 18 and then in the first team debuting in B2.
He then moved to B1 at Roana CBF Macerata in 2017 and 2018 at Volley Pordenone. He maintains the category passing to the Megabox Vallefoglia, with which in 2020 he lands in A2 and in 2021 wins the Play Off landing in Serie A1. In the 2021/2022 season he played again in Serie A2 with Assitex Sant’Elia while in 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 he joined the Vicenza Volleyball family.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1980.
She won as a professional cyclist two regional titles (Tuscan Road and Track Champion) in 1994. She classified herself sixth at the Juniores World Championship in 1998 (1st absolute among the Italian athletes). She participated in the Tour de France 2001 and 2003 and in four editions of the Giro d’Italia (in two of which her team won the title).
She has raced for the teams Selene Rama, Edil Savino, Prato Bike-Aki and Michela Fanini Record Vox.

Born in Empoli in 1988 but resident in Castelfiorentino.
She started playing soccer when she was very young in the Polisportiva Membrino Castelfiorentino, where she remained for three years, having reached the age limit allowed to play with her male peers. She then moves to Futsal UISP where she remains for six seasons; in 2006 she is registered with the women’s club CF Scalese, with which she immediately wins the C series and, in 2009, the B series. In 2013, always with Scalese, she wins the promotion to the Women’s A Series. She spends a year in Pontedera in Serie C where she also becomes the youth coach and then she arrives at the helm of the Primavera team of CF Florentia. She recently returned to coach the youth team of Cambiano United.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1949.
His adventure began in the sixties, first in the Juniores and then in the first team of Castelfiorentino. In 1965, the stroke of luck: Mauro Franceschini contacted him for an audition with the L.R. Vicenza. During the trip, the two make a stop in Milan, as Franceschini has to bring some Tuscan products to Helenio Herrera. That courtesy visit turns out to be the chance of a lifetime for Luigi Reali: the Inter coach urgently needs a goalkeeper, and therefore asks Reali to try out for him. Helenio Herrera was impressed by this young goalkeeper. He puts him in the “primavera” and, the following year, in the first team (as Sarti’s reserve), alongside players of the caliber of Sandro Mazzola or Luisito Suarez.
After the experience in the Inter he wears the jerseys of Voghera, Akragas and Pontedera in Serie D, Savoia, Siracusa, Sant’Angelo Lodigiano, Biellese and Virtus Entella in Serie C and Arezzo, Cremonese and the Monza of Adriano Galliani in Serie B. He ends his career returning to Castelfiorentino, also in the historic season in Serie D.

Born in Castelfiorentino. Starting from ABC, she managed to achieve great results in women’s basketball, playing in Serie A1 first with Parma and then in Ferrara in 1990/91 and being part of one of the first formations of the Italian National Women’s Basketball team of coach Aldo Corno, in 1987.

Born in Empoli in 1990 but lives and grows up in Castelfiorentino.
He is an Italian road cyclist who rides for the Alpecin-Fenix team. He turns pro at the beginning of the 2013 season with the South African formation MTN-Qhubeka. After racing the Milano-Sanremo, he gets his first success as a professional in June, imposing himself in a sprint in the first stage of the Tour de Korea. He returned to victory in 2015 by winning a stage at the Vuelta a España. He also raced for Dimension Data, a South African team, and for Israel.
He participated in 5 Giri d’Italia, 11 Milano-Sanremo, 3 Liege-Bastogne-Liege, 3 Vuelta de España, 5 Giri della Lombardia and 2 Tour de France.

Born in Castelfiorentino in 1965.
He has covered the role of goalkeeper of Empoli Calcio for 12 years from 1981 to 1994 conquering the first historical promotion of the Tuscan club in Serie A. It has also dressed the jerseys of Pistoiese, Poggibonsi, Trapani, Colligiana and Livorno collecting 248 presences between Serie A, B, C and D. In 1987 together with teammates of the caliber of Gianluca Vialli and Ciro Ferrara, he won the World Military Championship with the Italian National Military team beating Germany 2-0. After the retirement he collaborated with the Empoli as physiotherapist.

Born in Vinci in 1977 but grew up in Castelfiorentino.
Grown up in the young team of Castelfiorentino, in 1992 he joined Mens Sana Siena, and then stayed at Snai Montecatini for five years (1993-1998) where he played both in the youth teams and in the A series. In 1998, he began a decade in B1: Cremona, Barcellona Pozzo di Gotto (promotion to League 2), Rieti, Ozzano, Teramo (promotion to League 2), Siena and Latina. In the summer of 2006, he returned to Castelfiorentino.

Born in Empoli in 1979, but a native of Castelfiorentino.
She did the whole career from the youth of ABC Castelfiorentino up to the women’s First Team, also playing two B2 championships. In 2015 she was called up by the Italian National Team for the Over 35 World Basketball Championship.