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.