Learn how to play Bocce Ball in Little Italy

Bocce ball is considered to be the world's oldest sport first documented in ancient Egypt in a 5200 B.C. painting in an Egyptian tomb of two boys playing--throwing a rounded ball toward a fixed target.

The game made its way to Greece around 800 B.C. The Romans learned the game from the Greeks, who then introduced it throughout the empire. They used coconuts brought back from Africa and later used hard olive wood to carve out bocce balls.

At times Roman Emperors considered banning it because it was felt that it diverted attention of the soldiers from more important tasks, such as archery and war training.

And perhaps most grave was the condemnation by the Catholic Church which deterred the laity and officially prohibited clergyman from playing the game by proclaiming bocce a means of 'gambling' and that priests by playing it, neglected time which should be reserved for the salvation of souls and the proclamation of the Gospel.

In the Middle Ages, people who were playing bocce in the streets were hitting the knees of passing noblemen with the bocce balls and prohibition hence became a possibility again. However this problem brought widespread attention to the sport among Italian noblemen and bocce immediately became a favorite pastime and has been so ever since.

There is no prohibition on playing bocce today, so come to Little Italy--to Amici Park and learn and enjoy the ancient sport of kings and royalty and peasants alike.

Host or Publisher Little Italy Association