Pool Table in Arezzo - Italy

Ken_4fun

Ken_4fun

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
All - I was in a villa in Arezzo - Italy. It was over 1000 years old, and had been beautifully restored. Included in one of the rooms was this strange pool table. Please look at the shape and size of the pockets. The other thing is when a ball was pocketed the ball was contained in the contraption shown.

Yeah I got to shoot a few balls in, and when I got back to it later in the evening, there were a few guys playing on it.

Anyone see anything like this?

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I thought those little ball catchers probably were for games like "American 4 ball" -- which was really popular here the US in the 19th C, but obviously variations of it must have been popular in Europe too. American 4 ball used two red balls and two white, based on old sets I've seen. It wasn't like you were using a whole rack of balls -- the rules must have stipulated returning a pocketed ball to the table. I have one of the little mechanical "hands" that were below the pockets when this kind of game was popular. There must be lots of them on the antique market because all of the tables with them eventually got junked or converted to more generous pocket baskets that could accommodate more than one ball :D :D
 
Those pockets are how tables in France were equipped for a long time

Looks like an antique English Billiards/Cinque Barilli table, built in France or Italy

You find antique versions of those pockets sometimes. I have a cherub pocket and some Hercules pockets that operate the same way.

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Bucket pockets, all the old tables have bucket pockets!

What I am curious about is the aspect ratio. Is it greater than two to one or is that just a photo illusion?

I used to tour old homes and buildings but never saw a table like this. Saw some strange ones but never got to hit a ball on one. One of those tables was 10x20 or bigger. It had legs under it like pilings! At least ten, maybe twelve. You understood why there had to be a designated pool room in house plans for that thing! A local plantation had a President's bedroom, literally. The owner had a custom bed built for when a friend was in the white house. The friend was inconsiderate enough to lose the election so the plantation owner had to have a room added big enough to house that bed! Funny things you learn. My head is too full of useless trivia to add anything of value. Can't figure out how to delete the trivia.

Hu
 
ShootingArts said:
Bucket pockets, all the old tables have bucket pockets!

What I am curious about is the aspect ratio. Is it greater than two to one or is that just a photo illusion?

I used to tour old homes and buildings but never saw a table like this. Saw some strange ones but never got to hit a ball on one. One of those tables was 10x20 or bigger. It had legs under it like pilings! At least ten, maybe twelve. You understood why there had to be a designated pool room in house plans for that thing! A local plantation had a President's bedroom, literally. The owner had a custom bed built for when a friend was in the white house. The friend was inconsiderate enough to lose the election so the plantation owner had to have a room added big enough to house that bed! Funny things you learn. My head is too full of useless trivia to add anything of value. Can't figure out how to delete the trivia.

Hu
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Hu -

We just took pictures with our I-phones.....

Ken
 
Ken_4fun said:
All - I was in a villa in Arezzo - Italy. It was over 1000 years old, and had been beautifully restored. Included in one of the rooms was this strange pool table. Please look at the shape and size of the pockets. The other thing is when a ball was pocketed the ball was contained in the contraption shown.

Yeah I got to shoot a few balls in, and when I got back to it later in the evening, there were a few guys playing on it.

Anyone see anything like this?

View attachment 786745View attachment 786746View attachment 786747View attachment 786748View attachment 786749View attachment 786750
Click to expand...
I was in Rome and played on a similar but not exact table like this. I do remember shooting at those small pockets very good practice for sighting!
Those Italian talbes are rough, no question.
 
Just left Türkiye yesterday and I am in Germany now. I found a few interesting places to play in Istanbul but not many tables in the other places I visited.

A few years ago I did a wine and food tour through Italy and in a resort near Bologna I found a room with a few of these tables.
 
Cuebuddy said:
Just left Türkiye yesterday and I am in Germany now. I found a few interesting places to play in Istanbul but not many tables in the other places I visited.

A few years ago I did a wine and food tour through Italy and in a resort near Bologna I found a room with a few of these tables.
Click to expand...
Zironi was the table manufacturer and they had a factory in Bologna.
 
Ken_4fun said:
All - I was in a villa in Arezzo - Italy. It was over 1000 years old, and had been beautifully restored. Included in one of the rooms was this strange pool table. Please look at the shape and size of the pockets. The other thing is when a ball was pocketed the ball was contained in the contraption shown.

Yeah I got to shoot a few balls in, and when I got back to it later in the evening, there were a few guys playing on it.

Anyone see anything like this?

View attachment 786745View attachment 786746View attachment 786747View attachment 786748View attachment 786749View attachment 786750
Click to expand...
Very cool! A once in a lifetime thing.
 
Cuebuddy said:
Just left Türkiye yesterday and I am in Germany now. I found a few interesting places to play in Istanbul but not many tables in the other places I visited.

A few years ago I did a wine and food tour through Italy and in a resort near Bologna I found a room with a few of these tables.
Click to expand...
Enjoy your trip. I was in Istanbul this year, I really like it there. Didn’t see any pool tables tho. I did in Germany this year, was in Koln and Aachen for 3 weeks. Lots of pool around there. Travel is the best! Have fun!

Best
Fatboy 🧳
 
Were the rails previously a cutting board...what's with the juice groove?
 
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