Vetulonia (Grossetto): Palla 21 Tournament

If you find yourself needing a break from all that sun and fresh air on the Follonica beaches, then head over to the hillsides of Grossetto near Castiglione della Pescaia to a small town called Vetulonia where you will come across a friendly tournament of palla 21. This is a traditional game, also called palla eh! because of the sound that players make before serving the ball.  This tournament takes place in August and consists of a small hand-sized palla (a ball) with similar rules to tennis except with a different playing field. The streets are marked with chalk to indicate the limits and the locals are very enthusiastic about the game. Players consider all of their surroundings as part of it (buildings, objects, even people on the sidelines).

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Photo credit: pibinko