In America, the name of bocce has been on the rise since it became popular in California in 1989. Today, an estimated 1,300,000 people in the United States play bocce. The game is so popular that many restaurants, lounges and clubs install courts for their guests. Bocce is part of San Francisco's World Corporate Games, where national and international corporate teams play such recognized games as tennis, basketball, baseball and soccer. Bocce also is an event in the Special Olympics, and will be included for the first time in the 1996 Olympics.
Bocce is played on a level surface.
The rules change according to the players and may range from a nearly nonexistent set of rules, to the strictest of tournament regulations. But for the average player, bocce is simple. There may be anywhere from two to eight players on a team. The object of the game is for a team to get its bocce as close to the pallino as possible. The balls thrown closest to the pallino receive points.