Watching pallapugno in Piedmont with Massimo Vachetto, a local hero and champion of a sport that has stood the test of time, at least in this corner of Italy. For the uninitiated, pallapugno is mostly played in Piedmont and Liguria. Participants occupy a 90 metre-long rectangular gravel pit, called a sferisterio, where, with intricately bandaged wrists featuring a tailor-made leather guard, they pummel a large rubber ball. It looks like a curious mixture of tennis, volleyball and squash… played with a closed fist. Massimo sits deep, just behind his teammates, coiling his body like a spring before unleashing it all in one explosive motion. Both feet leave the ground as he swings, launching the ball long and high across the pitch. Sometimes returned, sometimes not. The centre of the court grows crowded, a scrappy knot of bodies as both sides battling to force the play deeper into enemy territory. Head to drakes.com to see more.