Strummolo facts for kids

The strummolo is a special kind of spinning top from Naples, a city in Italy. In the local language, Neapolitan, it's called "strùmmolo." This fun toy has a long history and is often made of wood with a metal tip at the bottom. You use a cord or string to make it spin!

What is a Strummolo?

A strummolo is usually shaped like a cone. It has a pointed metal tip at one end and is made of wood. The main idea is to wrap a string around the wooden part and then throw it just right to make it spin for as long as possible.

How to Play with a Strummolo

Playing with a strummolo is pretty simple but takes some practice!

• First, you wrap the string tightly around the wooden body of the top.
• Then, you hold one end of the string and place the strummolo in the palm of your hand.
• With a quick flick of your wrist, you throw the top to the ground while still holding onto the string.
• If you do it right, the strummolo will spin very fast on its metal tip!

The goal is to make your strummolo spin for the longest time. You can play by yourself, trying to beat your own record, or you can play with friends to see whose strummolo spins the longest.

Sometimes, if the throw doesn't work well, the top might fall over without spinning. In Naples, they have a funny expression for this: "to do a cappellaccio." This means "to make a big mistake" or literally "a large hat"!

Where Does the Name Come From?

The word strummolo probably comes from ancient Greek words like strombos or strobilos. These words mean "swirl" or "something that can turn." This makes a lot of sense for a spinning top!

In an old book from 1841, called the Domestic Neapolitan and Tuscan Vocabulary, the strummolo was described as "a wooden object shaped like a cone, with a metal point on top, that children use to play, making it turn with a string attached around it." This shows that children have been playing with strummoli for a very long time!

Different Names for the Strummolo

The strummolo is known by different names in other parts of Italy:

• In Western Sicily, people call it strùmmula, strùmmalu, or strùmmulu.
• In Eastern Sicily, it's called tuppéttu.
• Some less common names include paloggiu from the dialect of Messina.
• In Taranto, it's known as 'u currùchələ.
• In Lecce, you might hear curutulu or curuddhu.
• In Lizzano, it's called pirrùculu.
• And in Scorrano, it's known as fìtu.

No matter what it's called, the strummolo is a classic toy that has brought joy to children for generations!