Tag Archives: palla 21

A “palla 21” ball is on its way to Colorado (USA)

Last year we were contacted by Noel C. , a physical education high school teacher based in the Denver, Colorado, area. Noel found out through the internet about the existence of palla 21 (aka palla eh!), and he contacted us to explain about his project: teach the game to his students, and possibly write some articles, or a book, about this story.

We told Noel that we were flattered about his interest and that we have several videos and text explanations to provide guidance. But, there was a big but…the ball, the ball…how can you teach a ball game without the proper ball?

Noel wrote that he had been looking for the palla a 21 balls on Amazon and did not find them. This was possibly a joke, since he had seen the videos where the ball is made by hand, but we appreciated the spirit. So, after various consultations with selected representatives of the pibinko.org network we decide to go for it and put a rare palla a 21 (or palla eh!) ball in the hands of an international courier.

At this point with the Tuscan ball players we are following with trepidation the tracking for the ball (and you can do it as well: https://www.mbe.it/it/tracking?c=270514124149), and when the ball will arrive we will give you more news.

To give a little emphasis to this moment, together with Sean Connerie and Silvia from Centro Color in Follonica, Tuscany, we prepared a little “boxing video” (normally people do “unboxing” videos)…

In 2007 we went with a crew of 21 people from Tuscany to Chicago to demonstrate palla a 21 (or palla eh!). In 2024 we are looking forward to see a ball from the Tuscan Metalliferous Hills making people play in Denver, Colorado, and we will see where this will bring!

Musica: i Lubrophonics

Oct. 11-13, 2019: 9th European Llargues Club Cup (Monticiano/Torniella/Ciciano, Tuscany) & Exhibition on the game of palla in Monticiano (until Oct. 27)

Following the traditional palla eh! and palla a 21 Summer tournaments in Southern Tuscany, the beginning of the Autumn brings in the same area a very peculiar event: the ninth European Llargues Cup for clubs.

Llargues is one of the variants of hand-ball games played across Europe, especially in the Valencian region in Spain, with close relations to games played in the Basque country, in France, Belgium and the Netherlands (as well as Southern Tuscany and Piedmont).
Since 2006 some of the Tuscany players had the opportunity of participating in various llargues tournaments abroad. This year Tuscany finally has the honour of hosting in the Merse and Farma Valley, South of Siena, one of the main events for this discipline in Europe.

The teams into play will be Scalvaia and Torniella, as “home teams” from Tuscany, Benidorm, Parcent, and Relleu (from the Valencian Region in Spain), Kersken and Thieulain (Belgium), Maubeuge (France), in addition to a selection of players from the Basque Country.
The presentation of the teams will be on October 11 at 7PM in Monticiano. A first round of games will be then held on October 12 in Monticiano, Torniella, and Ciciano. Semi-finals and finals will then be on October 13 in Monticiano.


To further celebrate this event, an exhibition on the game of palla has been set up at the Biodiversity Museum in Monticiano. Here information on the game, images on the palla tournaments since the Seventies and various items will be on display. The exhibition will thus provide an opportunity to learn more about a discipline surviving in Italy in just a few rural niches, but which in past ages had a much wider diffusion in Europe.

The exhibition may be visited until Oct. 27. On Thursdays and Fridays from 3PM to 6PM, and between 10.30AM and 6PM on Saturdays and Sundays.

These events are promoted by Unione Sportiva Scalvaia, Municipality of Monticiano, Municipality of Chiusdino, Municipality of Roccastrada, Federazione Italiana Pallapugno, Confédération International Jeux de Balle, with the patronage of Regione Toscana.

For more information: 338 477 8350

You may also follow the official Facebook page for these events (in Italian).