Bocce Ball Stirs Passion for Belleville Residents

The game of Bocce Ball still stirs passion among Belleville's Italian-American residents, where its roots can be traced back centuries to Italy. The game has been a way of life for as long as many long-time residents throughout Belleville can remember and was shown during a recent town council meeting in March.

The council had a recent discussion over whose responsibility it is to maintain a court located between the Disabled American Veterans Building and Senior Citizens building.

Though the issue wasn't resolved, during the meeting, a spirited reminiscing moved one long-time Belleville resident, Vincent Frantantoni, a local grandfather.

“I remember my grandfather, he built his own bocce court out of things lying around – he was the first recycler,” Frantantoni said. “We played bocce from way back.”

The game still brings so much fun to many residents as well, both in Belleville and Nutley, Angela Cuozzo-Zarrro of Belleville, said in separate interview.

For her though, the modern version of Bocce involves pitting the men against the women,“The guys play the girls and the guys almost always win. But I laugh when I think of the one time where the girls just got lucky. It’s just a fun game.”

Cuozzo-Zarro is part of a group in the Silver Lake district of Belleville homeowners, who have kept the game alive from the days of their parents and grandparents. It’s also helped that she’s had her own Bocce court in her yard on Salter Place for more than 20 years.

But to her it’s more than just a competition but a unique time to socialize.

“My group meets once or twice a month and we have our own special conversations,” Cuozzo-Zarro said. “You’re doing something active, at least part of the time, instead of just sitting.”

For Frantantoni, who lives near Elementary School Number Eight on Union Avenue, across town from Silver Lake district, it is different. It’s about the great memories because he’s not an active player anymore, he said.

Residents don’t need to be crafty like Frantantoni’s grandfather or build a court in their backyard to play though. They can buy there own set and play in either townships’ courts.

There are courts located in Yantacaw Park in Nutley, in Belleville Park, near the Newark border and in Branch Brook Park, located in Belleville and Newark.

Here’s a brief overview of the rules for new players:

Open Bocce is the most popular form of Bocce and it can be played almost anywhere there is open space.  This includes grassy surfaces, such as a front lawn or back yard, or dirt surfaces. Even paved surfaces, like parking lots, can be used.

Bocce is played with eight large balls. Players try to win by getting their balls as close as possible to one smaller ball, called the pallino. It can be played with two, four or eight players, according to the United States Bocce Federation. Locally, it can be played almost anywhere there is open space.  This includes grassy surfaces such as a front lawn or back yard, or dirt surfaces and even paved surfaces such asparking lots.

It's roots go back centuries to Italy, and immigrants brought it with them to America.