Bocce, also known as "Italian bowling," has a history that dates back to 5200 BC. Although the ancient Egyptians were the first to play a version of bocce, the early Romans had the most influence on the game as played today. Although not as popular as soccer in the United States, bocce is at the heart and soul of many Italian-American communities.
Equipment
An official bocce court is 86.92 feet long and 13.12 feet wide, with pitch lines set 13 feet from the back walls, according to the United States Bocce Federation. A center line is also drawn through the court. In Europe, gravel or clay courts are the norms. It's not unusual to see many mediums used in the United States, including crushed stone, dirt, oyster shells, sand and carpet.
Official game rules call for eight balls, or bocci---four for each team. The USBF recommends 2-pound balls that are 107 millimeters in diameter. A smaller ball, called the pallino, is used as the marker.
Starting Play
Teams consist of one, two or four players, with teams of four the most common. Teams play several rounds, or giros, until one of them reaches a predetermined score--11, 15 or 21 points.
The game begins with a coin toss to determine who will have the chance to throw the pallino first. Two members from each team stand at opposite ends of the court. A player from the team that won the coin toss stands at the pitch line and throws the pallino. It must cross the center line and land without hitting the back wall of the court. If the pallino throw is not valid, the other team has the chance to put the pallino in play.
In the United States, the team that originally threw the pallino throws the first bocce ball, regardless of which team successfully landed the pallino. International rules state that the person who landed the pallino takes the first bocce toss. Players may choose from three basic bocce throws. A punto is a throw aimed at landing closest to the pallino and thus scoring a point. A raffa is a ball aimed at one of the balls already on the court and thrown low to the ground. A volo is also aimed at any ball but is airborne for longer than a raffa.
Scoring and Winning
The object of the game is to stop your ball closest to the pallino. The opposing team may try to block you or knock your balls out of play. The first player steps up to the pitch line, announces the toss and throws the ball toward the pallino. The next team throws, attempting to get closer to the pallino. If a player is successful, he or she steps aside and play reverts to the other team. If not, the players would continue to throw balls until one of them lands closer to the pallino and play reverts to the other team. Play continues in this manner until the teams throw all eight balls.
At the end of each round, teams receive one point for each ball that is closer to the pallino than all of the opposing team's balls. If the closest ball from each team is of equal distance from the pallino, no score is granted and teams begin the next round. The game ends when one team has reached the predetermined score and is ahead of the opposing team by at least two points.
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