The object of the game of bocce is to bowl four wooden balls closer to the pallino (target ball) than your opponent. Bocce is generally played in teams of two or four players, but two can play and take two shots per turn.
The game is commonly played in an alley about 8 feet wide and 60 feet long and bounded on the sides by wooden boards. A regulator peg is planted dead center in the playing area, and there is a foul area at each end.
The first player must bowl the pallino from behind his foul line so that it lands about 5 feet beyond the regulator peg and more than 1 foot from the inside of the wooden boards. All players then take turns bowling balls toward the pallino while standing behind their foul lines. You may carom the ball off a side board. You may also hit and move other balls in the playing area, but you must first call the shot-specify which ball you’re aiming for. If you miss, the ball you bowled is disqualified and any dislodged balls must be repositioned.
After all four balls have been bowled, add the scores. The two balls closest to the pallino get 1 point each. Bowl more games until one team scores 12 points, the usual winning score.
There is also a popular French variant, called boules, which is similar to bocce in most respects. It uses metal balls and can be played in a bocce court or any convenient space.