How Mountain Folk play

Th e gamut of traditional games from mountain territories is extremely vast and has unique characteristics that are oft en dictated by the structure of the land and the rigidity of the climate where they are practiced. Each traditional game is strongly tied to the territory where it is played, and maintains antique usages in the rules, gestures, and linguistic expressions that remain alive and are passed on to the next generation by those who play them. More oft en than not, communities of players are unaware of the cultural and social value inherent in traditional games and for years the Associazione Giochi Antichi has striven to research, protect, and preserve the extensive and vital patrimony that is rarely given a value. This mission has much affi nity with the spirit of the Film Festival della Lessinia, which is careful to avoid any rhetoric about Alpinism and instead focuses on the people of the mountains by presenting careful documentation and choosing stories that are at once singular and universal. The vital aspects in the contemporary version of tradition are what most interest us and represent the object of our studies and research activity, both at the Associazione and at the Center for the Documentation of Traditional Games. This research activity is at the heart of Tocatì, the International Festival of Street Games that we created and organize annually in collaboration with the City of Verona; each year this event bring numerous game-playing communities to our city and attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors. Th is year, on September 23, 2010, we will inaugurate a new event, “Tocatì and the Cinema”, organized in association with the Film Festival della Lessinia. Th ere could not have been a better occasion to begin this new collaboration, because the guest of honour at the 2010 edition of Tocatì is Switzerland, and it is dedicated to mountain games.

Associazione Giochi Antichi