Drusacco, comes from an old tradition that dates back to the first half of the last century, Soms keeps it alive by proposing it in the days of San Rocco
Val di Chi. Who says it dates back to the first post-war period, who instead places it in the forties. The fact is that for Drusacco, a hamlet of Val di Chy, the “cuciunà”, a semi-serious bowls competition, has always been second in importance only to the patronal feast of San Rocco. For some years now, the local Mutual Aid Society, chaired by Roberto Allazzetta, has been organizing the traditional appointment on 17 August, coincidentally the day after the feast of San Rocco. And it is mostly the heirs of the old families of vacationers, now Drusacchesi by adoption, who form the hard core of the competitors. Many women take part in the competition. It has always been played with wooden or terracotta bowls, even after the advent of metal ones. At the beginning, the stalls were made of clay or cobbled streets; with the spread of the asphalt, the space for the game has inevitably been reduced, so much so that for a few years, making the irreducible lovers of tradition turn up their noses at any cost, the race was held on the sports field.
That cuciunà is not necessarily the prerogative of the best players, is testified by the fact that the curious regulation penalizes those who bring their bowl close to the jack. The throwing of the bowl, then, must take place with the player in a precariously balanced position. Exercises of pure acrobatics, rather than shooting skills. The prize for the winner? A broom. Ugo Glaudo, who was always present at the cuciunà in his youth, tells us: «At our competition all the bowls players of the upper valley met, some very good, others less so. But we know that in this type of competition, skill has never counted in any way. And among the players the bowl of wine turned, which also disappeared from the ritual, supplanted by less noble and, above all, non-alcoholic drinks. At the end of the competition and waiting for the closing dinner and the award ceremony, we would meet at the workers’ society, for some serious games, with metal bowls ». giacomo grosso