Palm Beach Real Estate and Loans

When people talk about Palm Beach real estate, the conversations always seem to swing to golf, tennis, swimming  - all the activities that can be done all year long because of our famous great weather.

But there are other things-

I was at Carlin Park last weekend with a friend and we walked past some people on the Bocce courts and she was completely confused!  She had no idea of what they were doing.

(Poor thing, she's not Italian, she's not from New York, etc --- but she still seems like a really nice person....)

I have a terrible feeling that too many of you don't even know what Bocce really is either - so, for her and all of you, here's an explanation:

Uh, oh - those guys must have heard what I just said!  They don't look too happy!

(picture by Eric Perrone) 

According to Wikipedia:

 "Bocce is a precision sport closely related to bowls and pétanque with a common ancestry from ancient games played in the Roman Empire. Developed into its present form in Italy, it is played around Europe and also in overseas countries that have received Italian migrants, including the United States, Canada, Australia, Brazil and Argentina(where it is known as bochas), initially amongst the migrants themselves but slowly becoming more popular with their descendants and the wider community. In parts of the U.S. Croatian immigrants brought 'Bocce' to the U.S. In some instances, 'half-sized' Bocce courts were built because of land/lot size constraints."

(picture by Eric Perrone)

 (picture from Eric Perrone)

 (picture by DrStarbuck)

Classically, Bocce is  played outdoors on dirt courts that are 20-30 meters long and 2.5 to 4 meters wide. Nowadays it is also played on grass, astroturf, sand, gravel and even snow.

You need a set of special balls to play Bocce (not a word CEG!).  A set consists of 9 balls - 8 large and 1 small called a 'jack' or 'boccino'.  The balls are typically made of brass, special plastic or compressed wood.

 (picture by Neo123195)

There are many variations to the basic game, but basically all of them involve one team putting the jack into an area at the end of the court and the sides (singles or teams) alternating throwing / rolling the larger balls to gain points by getting closer to the jack.

This shows the distance to the jack being measured.....

(picture by magullo's photos)

So, those are the basics.  If you'd REALLY like to learn more about the game, it's rules and history I would suggest going to the Collegium Cosmicum ad Buxeus which is "The Preeminent International Organization for the Sport of Bocce".

OK, so live in Palm Beach and you want to give it a try?  According to the Palm Beach County website :

- Carlin Park, 400 South SR A1A, Jupiter

- Governor Lawton Chiles Memorial Park, 6541 Morikami Park Road, Delray Beach

- John Prince Park, 2700 6th Avenue South, Lake Worth

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