| Ever played Bocce? Do you know what it is? Jack and Diane LoVerde gave us the opportunity to find out all about it.
After coffee and pastries at Starbucks it was off for a cruise of some beautiful homes in the hills of San Jose. Golf courses, beautiful views and some spectacular homes – one with a 20 car garage – ready to move? Arriving at Campo di Bocce we had a great family style Italian lunch. Wonderful food, and great people to share it with.
Now, back to Bocce. What is Bocce you ask, well…its origins are traced back as early as 5200 BC in Asia Minor. Bocce was also played by ancient Greeks and Romans. During the Middle Ages, Bocce was primarily found in France, Greece, and England, but by the 1500’s the Italians rediscovered the game and made it their own. The game has retained its traditional Italian aura ever since spreading to America with the arrival of Italian immigrants.
Okay, all well and good, but how do you play…here’s the short version of the rules: Two-four person teams play on each court; each team has four Bocce balls. Team 1 rolls the smaller object ball, the pallino, at least halfway down the court. The same person then rolls Team 1’s Bocce ball. Team 2 then rolls out their first ball. At this point, whichever team is furthest from the pallino will roll, alternating players, until either they get closer to the pallino or they run out of balls. At this time, the other team will roll, following the same guidelines. In determining the score, only one team that which is closest to the pallino, scores the number of Bocce balls closer to the pallino than the opposing teams closest ball determines the number of points awarded.
Got all that? Yup, it went right over our heads too. Once you start playing thing start to fall into place and believe me it really does get competitive. We played the guys against the ladies (Ladies ruled) and it was a fierce game but lots of fun. You really start measuring the distances to see whose ball is closer and we had some really close ones. With lots of great rolls, high 5’s and end zone dances it was a blast!
If you missed this Bocce ball session, hopefully we’ll do it again and you can see for yourself what fun it is.
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