Bocce
[BAH-chee]
Part of speech: noun
Origin: Italian, early 19th century
1.
An Italian game similar to lawn bowling but played on a shorter, narrower green.
Examples of Bocce in a sentence
"Our favorite family activity is playing bocce during the summer."
"The bar is small inside, but there is plenty of space to play bocce outside."
About Bocce
It's an easy game to pick up, but it requires great skill to master it. But there's no need to be intimidated if you're asked to join a game of bocce. Play starts with a pallino (small ball) being thrown onto the court. Then teams alternate throwing a bocce ball as close to the pallino as possible. The official rules get quite a bit more complicated, but it's a friendly game, so just follow your teammate's lead until you get the hang of it.
Did you Know?
Even if you're not the most athletic person, you can find fun with games in the "boules" family. The various forms of lawn bowling have their own specific rules and customs, but they're all inspired by ancient Roman games. In France it's "pétanque," in the Anglo world it's bowls, and in Italy they have "bocce." Bocce, particulary, has gained popularity around the world.
