“The
Joy of Bocce” by Mario Pagnoni
is the definitive book on the sport
of Bocce. Whether your style of play
is in the backyard, around a barbeque
or in serious competition, there is
something for you in this book.
The book explains the
rules of the game, different types of shots,
different types of playing surfaces, bocce
strategy and the skills and drills required
for improving your game. "The Joy of Bocce"
goes into detail about the different levels
of play from recreational bocce to professional
tournament play.
If you wish to build your
own bocce court, there is a whole section
devoted to instructions on how to do just
that, including pictures of the process.
The book also includes information on how
to buy the best equipment.
Reviewers have called
this book the “Bocce
Bible” and the “Manual for Bocce”.
In fact the book was
featured recently by Newsweek Magazine.
In it’s September
6 th issue in 2004, William Lee Adams spoke
of the book this way:
The
ancient sport of bocce suffers from an
image problem. "It conjures up this
picture of old Italians with a glass of wine
and a stogie," says Mario Pagnoni, author
of the definitive guide to the sport, "The
Joy of Bocce." Male octogenarians long
held a monopoly on the game because of tradition. "One
of the problems was, old Italian men didn't
let women or kids play," Pagnoni says.
But those days are gone. The sport, which
involves rolling the four-inch bocce ball
as close as possible to the pallino, a
smaller target ball, is now surging in
popularity. According to the World Bocce
Association, it is currently the second
most popular participatory sport in the
world—and women are driving
the charge. "If you'd asked me 20 years
ago, I'd say 5 percent [of players] were
women," says Traci Peters, organizer
of last week's American Bocce Association
national championships. "Now I'd have
to say it's 50-50." Players are also
getting younger. Though the average age
at the tournament was 65, local YMCAs have
established youth tournaments, and sporting-goods
stores now offer glow-in-the-dark and water-filled
bocce balls to attract younger players.
Bocce
is trying another ploy to capture the
hearts of the public—by
getting to their stomachs. Trattoria
di Bocce, opened last month in Orion Township
, Mich. , is one of the country's first
bocce restaurants. Now the iconic bocce
player can have some linguine with
his (or her) wine.
