If you have already been in Provence, you have probably seen people playing pétanque.
In most Provencal villages, there is a pétanque ground usually under the plane trees and where the townsfolk gather to play.
The word pétanque is Provencal and its origins come from the word petanca, which means “feet anchored”. The game in its’ present day format started in La Ciotat (on the Mediterranean coast) in 1907.
The concept of pétanque is straightforward; the player standing with both feet on the ground tosses hollow metal balls towards a smaller wooden or plastic ball called the cochonnet or piglet. The player closest to the little ball wins the point. The game can be played with two players or up to six players (two teams of three).

Pétanque is a symbol of Provence, like the Pastis and cicadas, a part of our national culture.