What is bocce?
Bocce is a target-ball game from Italy (bocce is the plural of boccia, “bowl”). Two sides roll larger balls toward a small target ball, the pallino (also called the jack or boccino), on a long court with boards around it. After each frame, the side closest to the pallino scores one point for every ball nearer than the opponent’s closest ball.
One thing surprises newcomers: there isn’t just one set of rules. In the US you will meet three: the international rules of the Confederazione Boccistica Internazionale (CBI), the United States Bocce Federation’s (USBF) Open Rules for American tournaments, and the Special Olympics rules. The numbers below say which is which.
Court and equipment
| International (CBI, 2026) | US tournaments (USBF) | Special Olympics (2024) | |
| Court | 26.5 × 4 to 4.5 m | 86.92 × 13.12 ft (26.5 × 4 m) | 60 × 12 ft |
| Balls | 105.5 to 107.5 mm, 900 to 920 g | 107 mm, 920 g (about 2 lb) | 107 to 110 mm |
| Pallino | 39 to 41 mm, 83 to 97 g | “jack” or “pallino” | 48 to 63 mm |
| Game to | 12 points (or 8 to 10 ends) | Usually 12; finals usually 15 | 12 (singles, doubles); 16 (teams of four) |
A standard set is eight balls, four per side in two colours, plus the pallino. Courts can be surfaced with stone dust, clay, carpet, oyster shells or synthetics, and the USBF notes that “Unofficial courts can be smaller,” so a backyard court works fine.
How to play
- Flip a coin. The winner picks the starting end and tosses the pallino, which must pass the center line without touching the back wall.
- The pallino side rolls first to set the point.
- Then the other side plays until it gets closer. USBF: “Once the point is established, the opposing Team must point or shoot until they make a new (closer) point.” Special Olympics calls the closest side “in” and the other “out.”
- Roll from behind the foul line. Special Olympics requires an underhand delivery, “releasing the ball below the waist.”
- Score the frame. When all eight balls are played, the closest side scores one point per ball closer than the opponent’s best. Only one side scores in a frame, and a tie for closest scores nothing.
A common myth says bocce only ever awards one point per frame. It doesn’t: under every rulebook above, each closer ball counts.
Teams
- Singles: 4 balls each.
- Doubles: 2 balls each.
- Triples: 2 balls each (international).
- Foursomes: 1 ball each in Special Olympics; USBF foursomes play 2 balls each with two players at each end.
Pointing, raffa and volo
You can point (roll gently to finish close) or shoot. The USBF describes two shots: raffa, “releasing the ball at ground level, slightly lofting the ball or rolling the ball in a forceful manner,” and volo, “the act of lofting the ball in the air attempting to hit the target.” Because the court has boards, bank shots off the sides or back are legal in Special Olympics play, though under USBF rules a ball that hits the backboard without first touching another ball or the pallino is dead.
Bocce terms
| Pallino / pallina / boccino | The small target ball |
|---|---|
| Frame (end) | One round of play from one end of the court to the other |
| Point | The ball currently closest to the pallino; also a unit of score |
| Punto | Rolling a ball to finish close to the pallino |
| Raffa | A hard, low shot to knock a ball away |
| Volo | A lofted shot that hits the target from the air |
| In / out | The side closest is “in”; the “out” side plays next |
| Foul line | The line you must not cross when delivering |
| Dead ball | A ball removed from play, e.g. for a foot foul or leaving the court |
| Pallino advantage | The side that scored tosses the pallino next frame |
Bocce vs pétanque vs lawn bowls
- Bocce vs pétanque: bocce balls are larger resin balls rolled on a boarded court; pétanque boules are smaller hollow metal balls thrown from a circle on almost any surface, and pétanque plays to 13.
- Bocce vs lawn bowls: lawn bowls are biased and curve, while bocce balls are round and roll straight; lawn bowls is played on an open green, and lawn bowlers take turns one bowl at a time instead of the “out side plays” rule.
History and where to play
Bocce took its modern form in Italy, and Italian immigrants brought it to the United States, where it has since spread well beyond the Italian diaspora. Claims that it descends from Roman games are traditional rather than documented. Internationally, the CBI was founded on September 3, 1983 in Chiasso, Switzerland, by 13 nations. In the US, the USBF calls itself “the only internationally sanctioned governing body for Bocce in the United States,” and bocce is an official Special Olympics sport, including Unified Sports teams of athletes with and without intellectual disabilities.
Gear to play at home
Bocce sets. Eight balls and a pallino; regulation balls are 105.5 to 107.5 mm. See our buying guide for the bowling family for what the rules require and which set suits you.
Sources: CBI International Rules, Raffa (CBI-R003.2, effective August 1, 2026) and history; USBF Open Rules; Special Olympics Bocce Sport Rules (September 2024); World Bowls Laws of the Sport; FIPJP Official Rules; Wikipedia (name, history).