The Friends of the Bàla Créela formally establish their association in 2019 and immediately work enthusiastically to make their game known: they buy little balls to play with, t-shirts for the team members and create a photo album of the players. A twinning with the Pantalera of Piedmont, met in Verona on the occasion of the 17th edition of Tocatì, gave further energy to the group, committed to transmit the ball game of the Bàla and its memory to the new generations.
“For us the Tocatì programme is like the spring of a music box. We hope that this nomination will be successful and Tocatì will be included in the UNESCO Register of Good Safeguarding Practices, for the sake of future generations“.
Associazione Amici della Bàla Creèla
Gianico, Val Camonica, Brescia, Lombardy, Italy
BATTUGLIE DI PASTELLESSA
The Battuglie di Pastellessa attended for many years in the Tocatì festival with the game of the Soap Pole and with the musical performances of the Bottari of Macerata Campania. The best-known festive event where we can meet is the annual ‘A Festa’ E Santantuono: a moment of leisure and aggregation for the whole community, which invariably widely participates. On this occasion, traditional games and music are always recognised as expressions of the cultural heritage of the area.
“UNESCO, since its beginnings, has been contributing to preserve peace through the awareness and respect for the culture of others. The Tocatì programme, fully reflecting the principles and objectives of the 2003 UNESCO Convention, represents for us a good safeguarding practice to be applied as a model in the communities“.
Associazione Sant’Antuono & le Battuglie di Pastellessa
Macerata Campania, Caserta, Campania, Italy.
Website: https://www.santantuono.it/associazione-santantuono-le-battuglie-di-pastellessa/
BIJÈ
The ludic community of the Bijè is made up of a group of players of all ages committed in the transmission of the game of skittles as an instrument of peaceful coexistence and sharing between cultures. Aware of the cultural and historical role of their game, the women of the skittles of Farigliano are devoted all the year round to making Bijè known, both during the main event of the town La Festa del Bun Vin, and within the Tocatì Festival. A game that physically requires capacity, aim and skill but which, at the same time, is recognised of great social importance.
“The Bijè game is a female game. The merit of the women of the Community of the game of Bijè is not only that of having preserved the game of skittles over the millennia, maintaining figures, forms and gestures of ancient rites, but of having brought it into the everyday life as an example of rebellion and affirmation against the male power“.
Associazione Birilli di Farigliano – Gioco delle Bijé
Farigliano, Cuneo, Piedmont, Italy.
Website: https://www.comune.farigliano.cn.it/Home/Guida-al-paese?IDPagina=29572&IDCat=4527
BISSE
The Bardolino Nautical Centre promotes the tradition of standing rowing on Bissa, the traditional boat on Lake Garda. Since 2018 Lega Bisse actively participates in the AGA’s initiatives and in 2019 joins for the first time in Tocatì with an all-female delegation. Rowing in Bissa represents for this community a trait d’union with its fishing roots and a tangible manifestation of the intimate link of the inhabitants with their territory and their lake.
“UNESCO is for us the highest emblem of how the promotion and safeguard of cultural diversity, the enhancement of traditions and their dignity, reveal that humanity is one and only, united by the desire of sharing and peace. The Tocatì programme is an opportunity to share our experience and spread our tradition, with the aim of keeping our discipline alive but above all with the aim of transmitting the passion that animates us to the new generations: rowers men and women of tomorrow“.
Centro Nautico Bardolino, Lega Bisse del Garda
Bardolino, Verona, Veneto, Italy.
Website: https://legabissedelgarda.com/
CACIO AL FUSO
The game of Cacio al Fuso di Pienza takes place every year on the occasion of the Cacio Fair in Piazza Pio II, which is always the beating heart of the city and the place where the community gathers to celebrate its rites. The game, formerly practiced in the farmyards and in the squares, consists in rolling a wheel of aged cheese, the cacio, towards the centre of a target indicated by a spindle stuck in the ground. The playing tool, the cacio, represents the link with the local products and evokes the ancient custom of the shepherds to test the maturation of the cheese, which, over time, has become a game.
“We hope that this nomination is successful and that Tocatì will be acknowledged in the UNESCO Register of Good Practices, for the benefit of future generations. Because for us, UNESCO just means that“.
Pro Loco Pienza
Pienza, Val d’Orcia, Siena, Italy.
CAPANNA
The game of the Capanna (Hut) owes its name to the way of indicating the best shot a player can do by throwing a form of panforte on a table, pushing it as far as possible without dropping it. The Panforte, the true actor of the game, is a Tuscan cake of very ancient origins. It needs to be beaten before eating: hence the origin of the Capanna, which involves more than 120 players every year during the Christmas period in a challenge in the taverns of the village.
“The Tocatì programme is for us a unique experience. Watching so many people playing ancient and different games is a real emotion. Participating in the Tocatì Festival also means an opportunity to make our game known and to rediscover old traditions at risk of getting lost for the new generations“.
Gruppo Gioco della Capanna
Santa Fiora, Grosseto, Siena, Italy.
Sito. … ?
CIӒRӒMÉLA
The Fiö and Fiulät d’lä lippä took part in the Tocatì with the game of the Ciaraméla since its first edition and for many years took part in the initiatives of the Tocatì programme at the national and international level. The Ciäraméla is a stick game transmitted from generation to generation which consists of throwing a smaller piece of wood as far as possible, hitting it with a stick. Worldwide there are many variations of this game and this makes the Ciäraméla, and more generally the Lippa, an instrument of dialogue between cultures.
“Participation in the Festival and in the Tocatì programme allowed us to establish relationships of friendship, cultural and ludic exchange with other communities, but above all it has made us mature to make a consolidated reality evolve, transmitting the spirit of the game of lippa from generation to generation“.
Associazione Fiö e Fiulät d’lä lippä
Mede, Pavia, Lombardy, Italy.
Website: https://www.facebook.com/fiodlalippa
CORSA CON LA CANNATA
The Corsa con la Cannata is a race reserved exclusively for young women that takes place every year on the occasion of the Arpino Banner. The players compete in speed holding the Cannata on their heads, a terracotta container filled with water that can weigh up to 15 kg. This terracotta amphora is a symbol of the bond with the Ciociaria area and is worn on the head by 7 young competitors dressed in traditional costumes. This community attended the Tocatì festival for many years and is committed to AGA all year round to safeguard traditional games.
“Our game is a glue for our community, it separates us for a few days but unites us for the rest of the year, all in the name of protecting our ancient traditions. Participating in the Tocatì programme is for us a point of reference and a sharing of ideas with other communities, it makes us even more proud of the witness we carry forward for the new generations“.
Associazione Pro Loco Arpino
Arpino, Frosinone, Latium, Italy.
FENT
The FENT – Federachon Esport Nohtra Tera is a federation that protects, promotes and researches traditional Aosta Valley games and sports such as Fiolet, Palet, Rebatta, Tsan and Moura. He has been participating in the Tocatì festival for many years, alternating the presence of these practices to make them known outside their territory, where they are promoted and enhanced throughout the year.
“Our games are for our community a cultural phenomenon rooted in local tradition that has found fertile ground to assert itself despite the profound changes occurred in the social fabric and the multiple pressures of a rapidly evolving world. The Tocatì programme is a great opportunity for us to confront and to pursue cultural exchange projects with the common goal of promoting the value of traditional games and making them known to the new generations.”
FENT – Federachon Esport Nohtra Tera
Valle d’Aosta
Website: http://www.fentvda.it/
GIOCO DELLE NOCI
The Monterosso community of the Gioco delle Noci (Game of walnuts) has been committed for many years to recover and promote the traditional games of the Cinque Terre village of Monterosso al Mare, with particular regard to the Gioco delle Noci. The Cinque Terre Tourist Consortium Association immediately signed with conviction the Verona Protocol of AGA, considered as a valid tool for the safeguarding of traditional games and sports. For the Gioco delle Noci community, the Associazione Giochi Antichi-AGA represents an institutional framework that can support and promote the initiatives spontaneously carried by the players of the village.
“The repeated participation of Monterosso in the Veronese event of Tocatì allowed the contact with wider ludic levels on a national and international scale, reinforcing the conviction that what was carried out represents something essential and indispensable“.
Associazione Corsorzio Turistico 5 Terre
Monterosso al Mare, La Spezia, Liguria, Italy.
LANCIO DEL MAIORCHINO
The Olimpia Sports Club attended for many years the Tocatì Festival and joined the initiatives promoted by AGA to promote the safeguard of the traditional game of throwing the Maiorchino. This game is played by male and female teams and consists in throwing a wheel of seasoned cheese along the streets of Novara di Sicilia with the aim of getting at the finish line first, known as sarvaù.
“For our community, playing is an opportunity of socialization and an act of attachment to the territory: it is not the worship of the past but the sense of continuity and the sacred importance of what is permanent as well as the only act of immortality accessible to history“.
Associazione Circolo Olimpia
Novara di Sicilia, Messina, Sicily, Italy.
Facebook. https://www.facebook.com/Circolo-Sportivo-Olimpia-Il-Maiorchino-116956216815275/
MORRA
The community of Morra di Barbariga is registered to CONI (Italian National Olympic Committee) since 2005 and has 119 players. To promote the game of Morra, which consists in guessing the sum of the numbers that are shown simultaneously with the fingers by the players, the ASD Compagnia della Morra attended the Tocatì festival in 2019. Today the aim is to return to the squares to make this game living again, after its ban from the public places in the fascist years and the current restricted regulations. The morra is now practiced in festive contexts and introduced in schools, due to its great relevance to the teaching of algebra.
“The enthusiasm provided by participating in the Tocatì 2019 gave us strength and desire to continue to offer the Gioco della Morra in our area, to accompany young people to rediscover and practice this ancient game.”
ASD Compagnia della Morra
Barbariga, Brescia, Lombardy.
PALLA EH!
The Association Palla Eh! di Ciciano attended the activities of the national network of AGA since the first meeting in 2002 and took part in the Tocatì festival for several editions. Popular game of ancient Roman origins, the game of the Palla Eh! has always been practiced in the streets of the village: two teams of five players each compete by throwing a hand-sewn ball bare hand. The scream “Eh!”, of the sender before throwing the ball, corresponds to the name of the game. The practice is concentrated between July and September and with players of all ages and cultures, coming from six municipalities in the province of Grosseto. Through this game, the Palla Eh! it brings small villages back to play, avoiding the risk of being forgotten or suffocated by the presence of cars and bans, and promoting the inclusion of new inhabitants and social cohesion.
“For us the Tocatì programme is an opportunity to interact with other communities and to create ludic networks, essential for strengthening the possibilities of safeguarding and promoting the game“.
Associazione Palla Eh!
Ciciano, Grosseto, Tuscany, Italy.
Website: http://www.pallaeh.it/magazine/
PALLONE COL BRACCIALE
The Ente Disfida del Bracciale is a cultural association committed to the safeguard of the practice of the Pallone col Bracciale (Ball with the Bracelet). The game consists of a team challenge that sees men and women facing each other by throwing a ball and hit it strongly with a pointed wooden bracelet. The institution adhered to the activities promoted by AGA since in 2002, considering the association’s work to be invaluable in promoting awareness of games as an expression of the cultural heritage of any community.
“The recognition by UNESCO for us would not only be the icing on the cake, but also the beginning of a new path based on greater safeguard and greater significance, which both allow all traditional games to be further enhanced in their role not only ludic, but above all cultural, aggregative and social“.
Ente Disfida del Bracciale
Treia, Macerata, Marche, Italy
Website: http://www.prolocotreia.it/
PANTALERA
The Elastic Ball Pantalera is a game deeply rooted in the Piedmontese and Ligurian rural tradition. An ancient variant of Pallapugno, the Pantalera is a game widely played in the squares of the villages of the Langa, Roero, Monferrato and the Ligurian hinterland. These territories challenge each other every year to the “gioco del balôn” in an Italian championship that involves over 30 villages in the territory. The activity in the square, spontaneous and of popular origin, actively involves the inhabitants, maintaining the parochial spirit, of communion and socialisation. A demonstration? The participation, in 2019, of the Brescia recreational community of Bala Créela, known on the occasion of the 17th edition of Tocatì, was welcomed with great conviviality.
“A big acknowledgement goes to AGA which has taken steps to promote events with a high social and cultural impact such as Tocatì. Our association firmly signed the Verona Protocol in 2018 and systematically participates in the initiative “Tocatì a shared heritage. Days of the immaterial “.
ASD – APEP “Associazione Sportiva Dilettantistica Pallone Elastico alla Pantalera”
Langhe, Piedmont, Liguria, Italy.
Sito. https://www.regione.piemonte.it/web/temi/cultura-turismo-sport/sport/sport-tradizionali/pallapugno
PIRLÌ
The Cooperativa l’Innesto is actively involved in safeguarding the traditional game of Pirlì, an ancestor of pinball machines, and has been collaborating continuously with the Associazione Giochi Antichi-AGA since 2002: it contributed to the drafting of the AGA Manifesto and to the establishment of a national network of Italian ludic communities. Among the leading communities of the first editions of Tocatì, the Cooperative has simultaneously promoted, through the practice of the Pirlì, the sense of belonging to the Val Cavallina territory and the sharing of important universal values through play. Thanks to a European project, in collaboration with AGA, it has created a theme park called La Valle in Gioco.
“Every year thousands of students of all levels visit the park and approach the games with enthusiasm, amazement and joy, bringing in the awareness that playing means collective fun that lives on the personal contribution of each one: the game allows youngest participants to nurture self-help, the joy of encounter, sharing, and peace“.
Cooperativa Sociale l’Innesto
Gaverina Terme, Bergamo, Lombardy, Italy.
Website: http://www.innesto.org/
TORRI UMANE
For years, the Torri Umane (Human Towers) Association has been involved in the recovery and safeguarding of the practice of Human Towers, concretely engaging in the transmission of this ritual. Initially religious, the practice later took on a political connotation and established itself as a symbol of balance between social classes. The association participated in Tocatì for several years and, thanks to the activities promoted by AGA, it met various traditional games communities at national and international level, promoting the exchange and comparison between ludic practices.
“The participation of the Association in the various initiatives of Tocatì allowed us to be in contact with a wider level on a national and international scale, strengthening the conviction that our game and our traditions represent something relevant and indispensable. Our commitment goes in the direction of ever greater coordination with the experiences of other communities, in line with the vocation and growing commitment of the Tocatì programme. Knowing and participating in the traditions of others allows us to feel part of something more complex, of an ever wider and more powerful movement to safeguard our common heritage“.
Associazione Torri Umane
Irsina, Potenza, Basilicata, Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/associazionetorriumane/
ROUOTTA
The game of Rouotta is a game of bowls that takes place every year on 26 December, outdoors, whatever the weather conditions are. Snow or rain do not prevent players of all ages from competing in the street, in the mule tracks or along the municipal roads. The Pro Loco of Lillianes attended Tocatì in 2008, 2013 and 2019, where it introduced the practice of Rouotta thanks also to the participation of a large number of young people from the village.
“During the past editions in Verona we found an atmosphere of community that made us feel at home. We had the opportunity to create group memories that we will always carry with us, thanks to AGA which always knows how to welcome the communities hosted in an impeccable way. We also participate in the initiative “The Days of the Immaterial”, a strong moment of exchange, mutual knowledge and awareness“.
Pro Loco Lillianes
Lillianes, Aosta, Valle d’Aosta, Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pro.lillianes/
SBÜRLA LA RÔDA
The Oltrefossa Association has been attending in the Tocatì festival for many years to raise awareness of the traditional game of Sbürla la Rôda, a practice that consists in pushing a straw bale as fast as possible, in teams, along a predetermined path. The game instrument strongly refers to the origins of this ludic activity, which recalls the wheels of the once numerous floating mills along the river Po, with its banks, woodlands, poplars and parish churches. Together with AGA, the Oltrefossa Association has been collaborating for years to build a local context that is attentive to the safeguard of Traditional Games and Sports as tools for promoting social relations and community life. The Fossacaprara Festival, the main event for the Sbürla community, is an important identity moment linked to game, traditional cuisine and just staying together.
“The Tocatì programme is a unique opportunity for us to get out of territorial isolation and build new relationships with ludic communities that share the same needs and objectives. Thanks to Tocatì, in recent years we have made friends with the community of Cacio al Fuso di Pienza (SI), the Trampolisti of Schieti (PU), the Fiö della Lippa di Mede (PV) and since we met, we invited them to our festival with their games”.
Associazione Oltrefossa
Fossacaprara, Cremona, Lombardy, Italy
S’ISTRUMPA
The ancient Sardinian wrestling of S’Istrumpa has very ancient roots dating back to the Nuragic period and recalls the traditional Celtic ones. S’Istrumpa was born with strong references to the pastoral and rural tradition. It is practiced by shepherds during sheep shearing, wheat harvesting and village festivals. In the 60s and 70s it was filmed during conscription visits for military recruitment. Recognised as a strong element of identity and aggregation, the S’Istrumpa wrestling is promoted and transmitted by passionate wrestlers in local initiatives, in schools and, regularly, during the Tocatì festival.
“We have been enthusiastically attending in the Tocatì Festival for many years and we believe that our presence is among the most assiduous and rewarding. It is a moment of encounter with the many other ludic communities. It is a moment of aggregation. The Tocatì Festival is a very important opportunity for us. It is a showcase that opens up to the world of traditional games. Above all, we consider the work that Tocatì carries out as a ‘community of communities’ to be very important”.
Federazione S’Istrumpa
Ollolai, Nuoro, Sardinia, Italy
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Federazione-Sistrumpa-Ollolai-1433769570267217
STÙ
The Gioco dello Stù is a game of cards and luck played during the Christmas period in Montorio al Vomano, Abruzzo. The game, simple and intuitive, is played by people of all ages in public spaces such as bars and taverns. Playing Stù encourages the sense of community, aggregation and being together. Thanks to a few simple rules, ludic time is inclusive, characterised by a kind of student spirit and light-heartedness.
“Becoming part of the Tocatì “family” was a coveted goal for us. Collaborating for its recognition by UNESCO is fundamental since the cultural heritage includes not only monuments and collections of objects, but also all the living traditions transmitted by our ancestors, the safeguard is essential in a world that is heading towards globalization“.
Associazione il Colle e il Solleone
Montorio al Vomano, Teramo, Abruzzo, Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Il-Colle-e-il-Solleone-102826725431702
TÒ VEGNA
The spherical game of Tò Vegna in Farra di Mel, a village in the province of Belluno of 400 souls, is transmitted to the new generations thanks to the strong link to the traditions felt by the inhabitants. Players of all ages continue to play this game outdoor with joy and light-heartedness, in the streets of the village, reflecting the social and historical importance that this practice represents for the community.
“Our participation in Tocatì opened new horizons, introduced us to other communities and made us feel less alone and more aware of the social and historical importance of the game“.
CRAL Ferrarese
Farra di Mel, Belluno, Veneto, Italy
TRAMPOLIERI DI SCHIETI
The Waders of Schieti hand down the traditional use of going on stilts: once used to cross the marshy and wetland areas, they are now the actors of the Palio dei Trampoli, a heartfelt and participatory event taking place every year in Urbino. The Waders of Schieti collaborate in the activities proposed by AGA to raise awareness and promote this game since 2007. Once a means of transport for farmers and miners, stilts were used to ford the rivers and reach the workplace, while in more recent have been used in outdoor summer competitions in the medieval village of Schieti. This ludic practice joined the Tocatì festival in 2007, 2011, 2012, 2017 and 2021. In 2008 and 2015 it was AGA, on the other hand, to come to the Marches Region to raise awareness among the community on the importance of traditions related to games.
“For our community, the game is a moment of socialization and belonging to our own territory. Unesco is for us the opportunity to make this ancient and magnificent tradition known, and so deeply felt by the inhabitants of our ludic community. It is a source of pride”.
Centro Socioculturale Don Italo Mancini
Schieti, Urbino, Marche, Italy
Website: https://www.paliodeitrampoli.it/
TRUCCO DA TERRA
The game of Trucco da Terra, once practiced daily throughout the Ligurian territory, is now played mainly in Rialto, a rural and wooded village in the hinterland of the province of Savona, in precious moments of meeting and sharing between men and women players of different generations. Made up of a wooden paddle, coloured bowls and iron circles embedded in the ground, the Trucco is played with a few simple rules, especially during the summer.
“Our community fully shares the intentions of the Tocatì programme as an opportunity for us to search for the historical origins of our game giving us the opportunity to make it known, thus keeping the tradition alive. The added value of participating in the Tocatì festival is the meeting and the opportunity to exchange with other Italian and international ludic communities“.
A.S.D. Polisportiva Rialtese
Rialto, Savona, Liguria, Italy
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Polisportiva-Rialtese-535093639926343/
ZACHEGN
The Faenza Festivals and Fairs Committee has been attending for many years the programme and the Tocatì festival with the Romagna game of Zachegn, similar to bowls, whose playing tools are however made of stone tiles. During the year, the game is offered in schools, popular festivals, parishes and cultural clubs in the area. Its strength is simplicity, which allows it to transmit a popular pastime with distant origins, today involving players of all cultures and ages.
“The Tocatì programme is for us an opportunity to compare ourselves with other ludic communities on the strategies and methods that allow us to continue working on the dissemination of Traditional Games and Sports. We recognize UNESCO as the world institution that can keep promoting peace and coexistence between different peoples through education, culture, communication and information. Promoting respect and defending freedoms is also fundamental by safeguarding moments of true communion such as games and sports”.
Comitato Feste e Sagre di Faenza
Faenza, Ravenna, Emilia Romagna, Italy
S-CIANCO
The S-cianco, the shorter of the two tools with which this stick game is played, is known in Italian by the name of lippa. The game has very ancient origins and there are some testimonies at the Petrie Museum in London, which houses some findings dating back to the XI / XII dynasty that have been catalogued as lippe. The game is widely practiced in many areas of Europe, North Africa and Asia, such as Spain, France, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia, India, Sri Lanka and in Italy it is played in many regions, under different names: Rella in Milan, Nizza in Rome, Mazza e pivezo in Naples, Ciärämèla in Pavia. Its diffusion allows this game to be a perfect tool for international dialogue and cooperation.
“Definitely the most important goal achieved by the association is to give a shape to this community, which saw teams of all types and compositions participate: from those of the Lessinia mountains, to others made exclusively of players or by children of Sri Lanka, who every year find themselves competing, and proposing a territorial culture that would otherwise be difficult to transmit in the urban centres of the province.”
Associazione Giochi Antichi
Verona, Italy
Website: associazionegiochiantichi.it