Bocce ball rolls into Livermore

0 Comments | Oakland Tribune, May 15, 2006 | by Lea Blevins, STAFF WRITER

LIVERMORE -- It takes five minutes to learn and a lifetime to master may sound like the slogan for a dramatic, daring, exciting sport.

But in Livermore, it refers to bocce ball -- at least according to operators of the still-under-construction Campo di Bocce facility in Livermore Valley wine country.

Campo di Bocce, which has been operating in Los Gatos for nine years, has chosen Livermore as the place to expand its bocce ball reach.

It was the aura of the wine country that drew Campo di Bocce to Livermore, General Manager Benjamin Musolf said.

Were very Italian-oriented and family-oriented, and just the setting of the rolling hills reminds you of the old country, he said.

A cultural tradition for Italians, bocce ball has naturally been paired with the vineyard backdrop.

Campo di Bocce has four indoor and four outdoor bocce courts that were just installed last week.

The indoor courts all fit in one large building with vaulted ceilings at the facilitys main entrance. The outdoor courts areenclosed by stucco walls with openings that allow players to look out on the vineyard next door and the Livermore hills in the distance.

Musolf said he pictures patrons playing bocce and sitting on the terrace sipping chianti.

"How much more can you ask for?" he said.

Anyone who just wants to sit back and watch can drink wine from Livermore Valley, Napa and Italian wineries and order from a full menu of Italian fare.

Italians may be familiar with bocce, but not everyone knows how to play the game that "takes five minutes to learn." But luckily, the five-minute rule is true.

Players break into two teams and someone on the first team rolls a small ball called a "pallino" at least halfway down the court. The same person then rolls their team's first bocce ball, which weighs about 21/2 pounds and is about 41/2 inches in diameter.

The next team rolls out its first ball, and whoever's ball is farthest away is the next to roll. The goal is to get the bocce balls closest to the pallino.

Points are scored based on the proximity of a team's balls to the pallino. Several frames are played each game until a team wins.

But if you didn't retain any of those instructions, don't worry. At Campo di Bocce, a lesson is included when game play is purchased.

Fees for groups of 12 or fewer are $10 per person for an hour and a half of game play. Groups larger than 12 can pay a flat rate of $75 an hour per court.

Although Campo di Bocce still has about a month of final construction and finishing touches to go, people driving near the Vineyard Avenue and Isabel Avenue intersection have been dropping in to catch a glimpse.

"They're very excited," Musolf said.

One of the Tri-Valley's own celebrities, John Madden, is a known bocce enthusiast and will be hosting a private ceremony with Steve Mariucci at Campo di Bocce in June. Madden already has visited Campo di Bocce's Los Gatos site.

"He loves bocce," Musolf said.

Campo di Bocce is slated to open mid- to late June. For more information, go online to http://www.campodibocce.com or call (925) 249-9800.

Staff Writer Lea Blevins can be reached at

lblevins@angnewspapers.com or (925) 416-4819.