Sphaeristerium Latin, from the (Greek

Greek language

Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...

 σφαιριστήριον, σφαῖρα, ball), the term in classic architecture given to a large open space connected with the Roman thermae

Thermae

In ancient Rome, thermae and balnea were facilities for bathing...

, for exercise with balls after the bather had been anointed; they were also provided in the Roman villa

Roman villa

A Roman villa is a villa that was built or lived in during the Roman republic and the Roman Empire. A villa was originally a Roman country house built for the upper class...

s.

Sports

In Italian

Italian language

Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...

 sferisterio is nowadays the courtfield for tamburello

Tamburello

Tamburello is a court game invented in the northern provinces of Italy during 16th century. It's a modification of the ancient game of pallone col bracciale...

 and two different Pallone

Pallone

Pallone is the name of several traditional ball games, played in all regions of Italy, with few differences in regulations...

 varieties: Pallone col bracciale and Pallone elastico. These are rectangular smooth grounds with a high wall on one of the long sides. Sizes change depending on the variety: 16m wide and 86m long for the pallone col bracciale, and 18m and 90m for the pallone elastico.