Balmy Night Bocce Ball

Forgive me for making such a lofty analogy, but one could almost believe it to be an early summer's night in Rome around here right about now. With temperatures hovering in the eighties at 10.30 at night, we're lapping up the luxurious, continental atmosphere here in normally fogged-in Northern Cal.

Crickets are doing their cute, noisy, constructive little thing, crowds are lining up along the sidewalk outside of bustling downtown ice cream stores, teenagers are languishing along the streets long past curfew. It's a whole new look for early rising West Coast America, which is typically tucked up long before this time of night!

Best of all, Bocce Ball is picking up in popularity out on the oyster-shell courts of the Bay Area, and we're not talking about gangs of aging Italian men, more over masses of would-be Mediterranean's meandering down to the park for a civilized Friday night pot-luck of olives, five dollar loaves, salami and mozzarella, & a nifty selection of SoCo wines in chic little, recyclable vinyl glasses!

Italian Bocce Ball is a precision sport quite closely related to French-style petanque,  and British-style (strached whites) lawn bowling, all of which descend from ancient sports of the Roman Empire. Popular around the Italian infiltrated world (Australia, South America, North America etc), Bocce certainly has a style and a charm all of its own.

Friends in the area (including Mouse in the Pantry's Mel) travel frequently down the 101 on a Friday eve to jostle for position at the hugely popular San Rafael Bocce Ball courts in Marin. Kernan and his partner play Bocce down by Railroad Square in Santa Rosa. It must be all the rage!  But we found the two clean, well-kept courts at Petaluma's Leghorn Park (by G&G) delightfully convenient and open this sweltering early evening, right alongside handy picnic tables and barbecue pits and play structures for the younger kids in tow.

Can't promise that you'll get to share in Charene's sampling of sensational wines, but I would venture to suggest that you get yourself down to a Bocce Ball park nearby on one of these summer's eves. Even though I'm not renowned for my competitive sporting prowess, I found the Bocce escape immensely relaxing and rather surprised myself with a few stealthy shots!

Comments

[Tony Cole]

SCBF are now playing two nights a week at Julliard park on A st. in Santa Rosa.We are now taking sign ups for spring leagues.

Tony Cole
Sonoma County Bocce Federation
sonomacountybocce.org