An Argentine family playing bocce in San Vicente, Buenos Aires, c.1902

Bocce play in Cape Coral, Florida, US in 2007Bocce being 💱 playeda typical bocce set

Bocce ( ,[1][2] or ,[3] Italian: [ˈbɔttʃe]), sometimes anglicized as bocce ball,[4] bocci[5] or boccie,[1] is a 💱 ball sport belonging to the boules family.

Developed into its present form in Italy, it is closely related to British bowls 💱 and French pétanque, with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire.

Bocce is played around western, southern 💱 and southeastern Europe, as well as in overseas areas with historical Italian immigrant population, including Australia, North America, and South 💱 America, principally Argentina and the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul.