bout the Mandriola

The mandriola is a type of neapolitan mandolin with four sets of three strings instead of four sets of two strings. In Mexico the instrument is known as the tricordia. Each set of strings, which is known as a course, is either tuned to a unison or tuned in octaves. Thus usual tunings of the instrument are
g, g, g: d', d', d': a', a', a': e'', e'', e''
and
G, g, g': d, d', d'': a, a', a'': e', e'', e'''

Mandriolas, like mandolins, are small instruments usually measuring approximately two feet tall. The body of the mandriola is similar in construction to that of a lute. The back of the instrument is made from numerous strips of wood. These number from as few as ten strips on some instruments to more than thirty on others. These strips are bent over a mold and glued together. The joints are reinforced by strips of paper on the inside of the body. The bottom end of the instrument is capped by a strip of hardwood running across the width of the instrument. The mandriola has its tuning pegs mounted perpendicularly to the peg box just like a guitar. In contrast the Milanese mandolin has its tuning pegs mounted laterally in the sound box, in the same fashion as a lute. The strings are usually attached to a plate at the bottom of the mandriola, whereas the strings are attached to the bridge on the Milanese mandolin.