Whiling away the days in Provence playing petanque

By Deike Uhtenwoldt Nov 15, 2011, 3:06 GMT

La Ciotat, France - The game of boules is popular throughout France but the Provence variety known as petanque originated over a century ago in the harbour town of La Ciotat near Marseilles.

The game involves a player throwing a metal ball as close as possible to a wooden ball while standing inside a starting circle. It was invented in 1907 by Jules Lenoir, who suffered from rheumatism and so was prevented from running before he threw the ball.

The name petanque comes from the Provencal 'ped tanco', which means 'feet together.' The first tournament was organized three years later by Ernest and Joseph Pitiot, who ran a cafe in the town. The length of the pitch is half that of a normal boules field.

Petanque soon grew to become the most popular form of boules ahead of other varieties, such as boule lyonnaise or jeu provencal which involve larger fields and heavier balls.

There are now around 600,000 members of the international petanque federation playing the sport in 52 countries and it has become as synonymous with Provence as the region's light or the scent of lavender, thyme and rosemary.

The former industrial town of La Ciotat was once an important port but all that remains are metal frames and rundown warehouses.

The main centre of activity in the town - at least in summer - takes place further to the east when the population of La Ciotat triples to over 100,000 as tourists flock to the sunny Mediterranean coast.

The area offers boat trips to the many bays and inlets below the rocky cliffs of the Calanques.

Another attraction is the Corniche des Cretes, a car route offering panoramic views of the stunning coastline. Tourists also enjoy picnics on Ile Verte, the only island in the 'departement,' or region, while the sheltered bay between La Ciotat to La Madrague is perfect for bathing.

Some visitors also make their way to the historic Eden Theatre cinema.

'It's the oldest running cinema in the world,' explains Liliane Sireta from the local tourist office.

One of the very first projected motion pictures, 'L'Arrivee d'un train en gare de La Ciotat,' was filmed by the Lumiere brothers in 1895 and shown in Paris before being screened at the Eden Theatre in September 1896.

The train station no longer exists but there is a small plaque to note the event at the boulodrome where Lenoir invented petanque. Most tourists, however, are unaware that petanque originated here and are more interested in enjoying the Mediterranean.