Warning: These pictures may not be suitable for younger children or pregnant women.

Photographing Bocce ball is not as easy as it looks. Don't let the simplicity of game and the easy going laughter fool you. Most of the pictures may look at though I was simply sitting down on a bench (I was) or on the side lines. The players are easily startled by movement. I waited until game breaks or lighting of "point cigarettes" before repositioning. The more animated players skip up and down the court following their shot and make what seem to the lay-person, simple gestures. I know now what those gestures mean after months of observation.

"Four-bangers" are celebrated with jigs that make pro football players blush (I couldn't bring myself to post it on this family site). The balls themselves are frequently spoken to and can easily be used as weapons. There are no referees on the court. I think the referees were forbidden in the Bocce-American Reform Treaty of 1813 as some players quote. I cannot tell if they read it or were there for the signing. Unsolicited comments or wrong calls by innocent bystanders are dealt with harshly, sometimes fatally. Paramedics responding to calls originating from the local bocce court ask for police protection. After years or decades of bocce play, players develop incredible strength from picking up and throwing the 1.5 lbs balls. Less talented players develop massive strength from other bocce rituals described later. An enraged bocce player may require 4-6 policemen for restraint. During this game the players all remained composed and no injuries or blood was spilled.

Look closely at the pictures, the animal hunter quality in the eyes. As I said before, it was months of showing up before I gained enough trust and confidence to bring my camera. Explaining "Digital" was tricky as I still don't know what will set the older bocce players off. I was forced to play a few games. I even had to clean and carry the balls back to the truck according to the local ritual after being beaten by two points on my first game. I lived through another two weeks of "joking" about losing that game.

I'm not sure how long I'll be allowed to visit the "courts of dispair" after posting these pictures.
Feel free to leave a comment.

Wish me luck...