EPISODE 47: BOCCE BALL

Bocce (/ˈbɒtʃi/,[1][2] or /ˈbɒtʃeɪ/,[3] Italian: [ˈbɔttʃe]), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball,[4] bocci[5] or boccie,[1] is a ball sport belonging to the boules family. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British 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 America, and South America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Initially played just by the Italian immigrants, the game has slowly become more popular with their descendants and more broadly.

PICTURE: By Xaven - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1722030
By Josefina Oliver (1875-1956) - Scanned from Viva magazine - Patricia Viana collection, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=63327908
By ChaChaFut - Own work, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=9173911
By Australian Paralympic Committee, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18950801