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Bocce
Bocce (/ˈbɒtʃi/ ⓘ, or /ˈbɒtʃeɪ/, Italian: [ˈbɔttʃe]), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci, or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family of games. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Bocce is played around Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in overseas areas with historical Italian immigrant population, including Australia, North and South America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Initially only played by Italian immigrants, the game has slowly gained popularity among descendant generations and outside the Italian diaspora.
Having developed from games played in the Roman Empire, bocce developed into its present form in Italy, where it is called bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means 'bowl' in the general sporting sense. It spread around Europe and also in regions to which Italians have migrated. The first form of regulation was described in the book "Gioco delle bocchie" by Raffaele Bisteghi in 1753. In South America it is known as bochas, or bolas criollas ('Criollo balls') in Venezuela, and bocha in southern Brazil. The accessibility of bocce to people of all ages and abilities has seen it grow in popularity among Special Olympics programmes globally, and it is now the third most-played sport among Special Olympics athletes.
The sport is also very popular on the eastern side of the Adriatic, especially in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the sport is known in Croatian as boćanje ('playing boće') or balote (colloquially also bućanje). In Slovenia the sport is known as balinanje or colloquially 'playing boče', or bale (from Italian bocce and Venetian bałe, meaning 'balls'). There are numerous bocce leagues in the United States (USA).
Bocce was brought to Venezuela between 1498 and 1510 by a Spanish friar or by Priest Sojo, great-uncle of Simón Bolívar. The Venezuelan modality became popular during the 1930s and is played in several Caribbean islands, including Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. In 1946, bocce was included in the first Venezuelan National Sports Games, and in 1956 the National Venezuelan Federation of Creole Bocce was founded.
Bocce is also played in Brazil. The sport was brought between 1880 and 1930 by the Italian families of Baggio, Zanetti, Tedesco, Merlin, Pazello, Bolisenha, Ricetti, Fressatos and Dorigos. The sport became popular on Curitiba and in 1952 the families created the bocci club Sociedade 25 de Maio. The city has also developed their own modality of bocce, "bocha clássico" (classic bocce). On 25 May, the city celebrates the bocce day.
Brazil is also notorious in the paralympic bocce modality. During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the country conquered three gold medals and one bronze medal in the BC2 and BC4 categories. Brazil hosted the paralympic bocce world championship twice. On Rio 2016, Brazil conquered a gold medal and a silver medal in the BC3 and BC4 categories. On 2022, the World Championship was hosted again on Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil conquered one gold, three silver and three bronze medals. In 2025, Curitiba hosted the Youth Bocce World Cup.
In Valdese, North Carolina, the sport was brought by Waldensian immigrants in 1893 and remains a cornerstone of local heritage. Le Phare des Alpes (LPDA)—a mutual aid society founded in 1909—operates a modern bocce complex featuring three covered, lighted clay courts, with tournament scoring managed by an electronic web-based system. The society hosts an annual regional bocce tournament in August as part of the Waldensian Festival, as well as an annual “State Bocce Tournament” each September, drawing teams from across North Carolina. The LPDA bocce courts are regarded by enthusiasts as “the finest bocce complex in North Carolina,” and Valdese is playfully referred to as “the bocce capital of the world.”
Bocce is traditionally played on a natural soil or asphalt court up to 27.5 metres (90 ft) in length and 2.5 to 4 metres (8.2 to 13.1 ft) wide. While the court walls are traditionally made of wood or stone, many social leagues and Special Olympics programs now use inflatable 'Packabocce' PVC courts due to their portability and ease of storage. Bocce balls can be made of wood (traditional), metal, baked clay, or various kinds of plastic. Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias.
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Bocce
Bocce (/ˈbɒtʃi/ ⓘ, or /ˈbɒtʃeɪ/, Italian: [ˈbɔttʃe]), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball, bocci, or boccie, is a ball sport belonging to the boules family of games. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to English bowls and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Bocce is played around Western, Southern, and Southeastern Europe, as well as in overseas areas with historical Italian immigrant population, including Australia, North and South America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian states of Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul and Santa Catarina. Initially only played by Italian immigrants, the game has slowly gained popularity among descendant generations and outside the Italian diaspora.
Having developed from games played in the Roman Empire, bocce developed into its present form in Italy, where it is called bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means 'bowl' in the general sporting sense. It spread around Europe and also in regions to which Italians have migrated. The first form of regulation was described in the book "Gioco delle bocchie" by Raffaele Bisteghi in 1753. In South America it is known as bochas, or bolas criollas ('Criollo balls') in Venezuela, and bocha in southern Brazil. The accessibility of bocce to people of all ages and abilities has seen it grow in popularity among Special Olympics programmes globally, and it is now the third most-played sport among Special Olympics athletes.
The sport is also very popular on the eastern side of the Adriatic, especially in Croatia, Serbia, Montenegro, and Bosnia and Herzegovina, where the sport is known in Croatian as boćanje ('playing boće') or balote (colloquially also bućanje). In Slovenia the sport is known as balinanje or colloquially 'playing boče', or bale (from Italian bocce and Venetian bałe, meaning 'balls'). There are numerous bocce leagues in the United States (USA).
Bocce was brought to Venezuela between 1498 and 1510 by a Spanish friar or by Priest Sojo, great-uncle of Simón Bolívar. The Venezuelan modality became popular during the 1930s and is played in several Caribbean islands, including Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire. In 1946, bocce was included in the first Venezuelan National Sports Games, and in 1956 the National Venezuelan Federation of Creole Bocce was founded.
Bocce is also played in Brazil. The sport was brought between 1880 and 1930 by the Italian families of Baggio, Zanetti, Tedesco, Merlin, Pazello, Bolisenha, Ricetti, Fressatos and Dorigos. The sport became popular on Curitiba and in 1952 the families created the bocci club Sociedade 25 de Maio. The city has also developed their own modality of bocce, "bocha clássico" (classic bocce). On 25 May, the city celebrates the bocce day.
Brazil is also notorious in the paralympic bocce modality. During the 2012 Summer Paralympics, the country conquered three gold medals and one bronze medal in the BC2 and BC4 categories. Brazil hosted the paralympic bocce world championship twice. On Rio 2016, Brazil conquered a gold medal and a silver medal in the BC3 and BC4 categories. On 2022, the World Championship was hosted again on Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil conquered one gold, three silver and three bronze medals. In 2025, Curitiba hosted the Youth Bocce World Cup.
In Valdese, North Carolina, the sport was brought by Waldensian immigrants in 1893 and remains a cornerstone of local heritage. Le Phare des Alpes (LPDA)—a mutual aid society founded in 1909—operates a modern bocce complex featuring three covered, lighted clay courts, with tournament scoring managed by an electronic web-based system. The society hosts an annual regional bocce tournament in August as part of the Waldensian Festival, as well as an annual “State Bocce Tournament” each September, drawing teams from across North Carolina. The LPDA bocce courts are regarded by enthusiasts as “the finest bocce complex in North Carolina,” and Valdese is playfully referred to as “the bocce capital of the world.”
Bocce is traditionally played on a natural soil or asphalt court up to 27.5 metres (90 ft) in length and 2.5 to 4 metres (8.2 to 13.1 ft) wide. While the court walls are traditionally made of wood or stone, many social leagues and Special Olympics programs now use inflatable 'Packabocce' PVC courts due to their portability and ease of storage. Bocce balls can be made of wood (traditional), metal, baked clay, or various kinds of plastic. Unlike lawn bowls, bocce balls are spherical and have no inbuilt bias.