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How to Play the Italian Game Bocce

Bocce is an Italian game that dates back to antiquity. It is similar to bowling but without pins. Bocce was brought to the U.S. and made popular by Italian-Americans. It is played and enjoyed both by the young and the old and is known to inspire friendly competition. For many, the game is a nostalgic reminder of their homeland. For others, it's a way to improve their coordination, improve their traditional bowling game, or just to have fun and relax.

The bocce ball is 4 1/2 inches in diameter and weighs about three pounds. In the game, players try to roll the bocce ball as close as possible to the pallino, another ball about one-third the size of the bocce, which is rolled down the playing field at the start of the game. The ball that comes the closest to the pallino scores a point. You win the game with 13 points.

Things You'll Need

Bocce set
Playing field

Instructions

How to Play
- 1
  Choose your playing field. The most common form of bocce is called "open bocce" because you can play anywhere. All you need is an open space--a park, a beach, or a lawn will do just fine. Hills or rough surfaces will make the game more challenging.
- 2
  The game can be played with two, four, or eight people as there are eight bocce balls in a set and one pallino.
- 3
  Choose a player to throw the pallino.
- 4
  Each player takes turns throwing until all balls are gone. The person whose bocce ball is closest to the pallino skips a turn until someone else gets closer.
- 5
  Score the round. Each bocce ball that is closer to the pallino than the nearest ball of the opposing player, scores one point. If there is a tie between two players, the balls can cancel each other out or they can be played again. This should be determined at the start of the game. If there is a tie between two bocce balls of the same player, then both balls receive a point.
- 6
  Repeat steps 3 to 5 until a player or team reaches 13 points.

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