Bocce Bowls
Bocce Bowls is a very popular sport in Piedmont. In fact, it is still possible to find bocce courts and open-air playing spaces in almost every town in the region. Sometimes the playing area is just a public square, or a courtyard, and groups of friends can be found playing against each other after lunch or at a party. There are three kinds of bowl games.
Raffa Bowls: This is played on a rectangular court with a flat, perfectly level surface. The game consists of throwing your balls as close as possible to a small ball ( target jack) trying to either knock your opponents’ balls away or hit the jack.
Volo: This variety, which is very common above all in Piedmont and Liguria, is played on a rectangular court with a dirt surface or asphalt surface covered with gravel. The playing rules are almost the same as those of Raffa.
Petanque Bowls: Unlike the other types of bowls, here the player must not move his feet while throwing his ball. It can be played on almost any surface and the aim is to get as close as possible to the target jack, getting over any obstacles that may be on the ground.
