Bocce

While calcio is undeniably the national sport of Italy, the well-loved game of bocce captures something essential about the Italian spirit. Across the country, from the big cities of northern Italy to the smallest villages of the South, you can hear the familiar clicking sound of the bocce balls and watch groups of Italian men (and women!) enjoying this ancient pastime. The widespread popularity of this social sport has made bocce, like pasta and Ferrari, one of the quintessential symbols of Italy — known throughout the globe to both Italians and non-Italians alike.

The origins of bocce date back to the Ancient Egyptians who played a game with polished rocks similar to today’s game. The game made its way to Greece around 800 BC, and the Romans later picked up the game from the Greeks. It quickly spread in popularity throughout the Roman Empire. The early Roman variation of the game often involved wooden balls or coconuts that they carried with them back from Africa. Bocce, whose name is the plural form of the Italian word boccia, which means “bowl,” grew in popularity over the centuries as a sport, popular with both peasants and nobility alike. From the Roman Emperor Augustus to the Renaissance man Galileo, bocce has been a popular pastime on the Italian peninsula. It became so popular, in fact, that at times it has been viewed as a threat by rulers—believed to detract soldiers from their more important military exercises. In 1576, the Republic of Venice officially actually bocce, and punished those who were caught playing with fines and imprisonment. Who would have thought a game could cause so much trouble?

Never played bocce before? It’s simple! The game is played on a long, narrow court using one small ball, called a pallino (or, in some regions, boccino), and eight larger balls. It can be played with as few as two or as many as eight players divided into two teams. The pallino is first launched down the court and the goal is to get the larger balls, often colored red and green in honor of the Italian flag, as close to the pallino as possible. It is a game that requires great focus, and a good team will often feature both players who are skilled at rolling the ball closest to the pallino and also players who have a keen eye for knocking their opponent’s balls out of the vicinity of the pallino.

In 1576, the Republic of Venice officially actually bocce, and punished those who were caught playing with fines and imprisonment. Who would have thought a game could cause so much trouble?

Although it might sound like just a simple game, remember that Italians take bocce seriously! When listening to a game from a distance, the prominent, almost zen-like sound of the clicking of the balls will often be drowned as you hear a cheer roar up among the team whose key player just made a strategic or difficult shot.

Throughout Italy you will hear these sounds, from groups of children playing a similar game with stones to old men who meet like clockwork every week to pass time together. The game of bocce has become popular around the world as well, especially in North and South America as well as Australia — areas that have been heavily influenced by the millions of Italian immigrants that left Italy in the late 19th and 20th century. Bocce is an important piece of Italian culture that has been carried around the world and continues to be cherished today by those of Italian heritage — building new traditions and creating lasting memories, just as their ancestors in the “Old Country” had done for hundreds of years.

If you happen across a game of bocce during your travels in Italy, stop and enjoy a taste of everyday Italian life. Or better yet, why don’t you try your own hand at it and giocare a bocce!