Jeu de mail

One of the oldest references to the game of 'pallamaglio', and to its Neapolitan origin, is by Anton Francesco Grazzini, also known as Lasca. The game is also mentioned in a list of Neapolitan popular games in Giordano Bruno's comedy The Candlestick (1582). The game was probably already played in the Kingdom of Naples in the twelfth century. One of the first known written record of '''' is a Renaissance Latin text dating to 1416. The in the name probably means 'maul, mallet', from Latin . An alternative meaning of 'straw' has been suggested (Modern French ), on the basis that the target hoops used in some versions of the game were sometimes made of bound straw. The game was still played in France, in the areas of Montpellier and Aix-en-Provence, into the early 20th century, before the First World War. ==Game play==

The game makes use of one or more balls that are generally of boxwood, but higher-quality balls are of medlar. The ball is struck with a long stick with a mallet- or foot-like end, similar to a croquet mallet or golf club, respectively; it is essentially a heavy version of the billiard (which eventually developed into the cue stick). Different variants of the game may have differing goals or targets (if any), ranging from croquet-like hoops to golf-like holes in the ground. There are four known named rules variations of the game: • ('quarrel', 'quibble') – similar to golf; the winner is the one who reaches a distant goal in the fewest strokes. • ('great blow') – the goal is to launch the ball as far as possible; good players might exceed • ('wheel', modern French: ) – played with several balls; ancestral to croquet and billiards • ('party') – a team version. ==References==