ABSTRACT
Bocce, boccia, pétanque, and boules – also boule lyonnaise – are a family of traditional folk bowling games which have their origin in France and Italy. Their common principle is to throw or roll a larger ball as close as possible towards a small ball, called jack, cochonnet (piglet), bouchon (cork), le petit (the small one), or pallino (small ball). These ball games are traditionally played by two competing players or two teams, often in open spaces of villages and towns or on the beach. Normally they are played on hard dirt or gravel, also on sand or grass, but for some variations special facilities have been built (Royant, 1981).
