The Memphis Italian Festival takes place this weekend, giving those of us whose names end in vowels an opportunity to have a better than average reason for making people offers they can’t refuse.
On top of the plentiful amounts of food and music, there is a bocce tournament starting on Friday evening and ending Saturday afternoon. Bocce is a game literally played around the world but one that doesn’t receive much attention.
The game’s origins date back to the Roman Empire, being slowly adapted into its present form in Italy. Once Italians began migrating around the globe, the game followed them and was passed down to younger generations.
Bocce is a combination of bowling and shuffleboard played one on one, or with two, three and four-person teams competing. The game can be played by nearly anyone from the age of eight up to those in their eighties. Games are played on a variety of different courts ranging from grass to something that resembles pee gravel.
The object of the game is very simple – roll your bocce ball as close to the pallino as possible. The game is started with a coin toss to determine which team throws last. Just as in shuffleboard, it’s always best to have the last ball giving you and opportunity to score without your opponent taking advantage.
The pallino is the “bull’s eye” and is thrown indiscriminately down the court. On the surface it doesn’t sound like much skill is required, but I can tell you from experience it takes time to master the game. A few years ago I was part of a team that came in second place in the tournament which was remarkable considering we lost the first game of the double-elimination tourney.
There are hundreds of bocce clubs around the country and Memphis is no different. The Memphis Italian American Society and The Memphis Bocce Club own a small tract of land that house an indoor facility with four courts. Some of the best bocce players in the U.S. can be found playing on Wednesday nights at the Memphis Bocce Club.
This weekend if you happen to be in the area, stop by the festival and check out the game being played. If you’d like to get more information about the game, rules and locations of bocce clubs, do a simple search on Google and you’ll find a ton of sites.
For those of you living in the Memphis area and are perhaps interested in joining the Memphis Bocce Club, click here and visit their site. You’ll find all the information you need regarding the club and membership options.
Oh, and if you don’t join, don’t let us find out you have horses in the stable.
Fortza Italia!
