girl with boules

boccie boules

Boules

The boules are spherical, 11 centimeters in diameter, and weigh between 0.7 and 1.3 kilograms. They are made of metal (today of stainless steel) or synthetic materials and must not contain nails, lead weights, etc.

boules and jack on grassy field

Jack

The jack is the ball used as a target. It is spherical, made of wood, and has a diameter of 3.7 cm. It must have no ridges, weighting, nails, etc.

Baguette

Unique to the game is an instrument called a baguette, an L-shaped metal rod which is used to trace out the lines of the pitch and to trace an arc in front of the designated target (either the jack or an opponent's boule). The rod is 6 mm in diameter and pointed on both ends. The longer leg is 50 cm long and the shorter 50 mm. The competing teams' baguettes must be identical.

Pitch

drawing of boccie boules pitch

Resources

A brief explanation of the rules, with a history of the game: www.saporidilanga.com/cultura/sport/bocce/indexen.htm

For those who read Italian, the Italian Federation’s website is here: http://www.federbocce.it/