Italy
Our bocce court is falling down. It rained a lot this winter – record rains,
they say – and one wooden wall couldn’t hold the weight of the sodden earth
and just collapsed. It’s not that we can’t play bocce anymore – you can play
bocce under almost any circumstance — it’s an adaptable game. You can
play bocce in your driveway or in a field somewhere; you can play in the
middle of West End Avenue if you get somebody to watch out for traffic.
So, we can play with the collapsed wall — all we have to do is throw the
pallino – that’s the little ball that you start the game with — away from that
wall so that it’s out in the open and everybody can get a good shot at it with
their bocce balls. It’s an equal handicap for all.
But Jill, my wife, insisted on pointing out that it looks like shit. She didn’t
put it that way, but her point was well taken. Our bocce court is not going
to draw people in to play; it has no street appeal. So we asked Sophie, our
landscaper and friend, to bring in a local gentleman, a tuttofare, to see what
could be done and give us an estimate. A tuttofare is a handyman, a fellow
who can do any job you have in mind.
The tuttofare came at the allotted time with his son, a boy full in the bloom
of adolescence who would rather be chasing girls on a motorino. But he was
here to learn the family business and he followed his dad around and nodded
sagely in agreement whenever the tuttofare gave an opinion.
Sophie put forth an idea that he could reinforce the walls with cement and
the tuttofare thought about this for a while and then shook his head.
“Not for bocce,” he said. “Cement, no.”
the tuttofare pondering the court wall
And then he went on to explain that cement would deaden the bounce of the
bocce ball against the wall and that would undermine the integrity of the
game. He was quite passionate about this and his son nodded in agreement.
“You also need a layer of marble dust as the very top layer – polvere di
marmo is the Italian for marble dust – so that the ball rolls truly.”
He measured the height of the rails with a tape measure and then paced the
length of the court a few times, making notes. Then he wrote down a figure,
showed it to Sophie, who then showed it to me. I thought it was very fair
and told him so.
“When can you do the work?” asked Sophie.
The tuttofare shook his head and frowned. “September, perhaps.”“September?” I blurted in frustration. “I won’t even be here in September
and I have friends – bocce-loving friends – coming this summer.”
“I have other work in July, and August … well, no one works in August –
not in all of Italy. Too hot.”
And his son shook his head in agreement.
Oh Boy! So glad I found your blog. Now I can get my Michael Tucker AND Umbria fix whenever I need it!
Grazie
Michael…An inspired cook and the owner of a bocce court. You continue to surprise.
I first played bocce at Sandy Island Family Camp in New Hampshire in August of 2007. The courts there are simple clay courts with wooden walls but are covered and lighted. My companion Robbie and her family are Irish/Italian and have been enjoying summer vacations and bocce there for 50 years. The players keep the courts groomed with rollers, rakes and brushes.
She and I were in Las Vegas 3 years ago and wandered into Rao’s Italian restaurant at Caesar’s Palace as it was closing. As we entered she remarked, “It smells like my grandmother’s kitchen in here.” Outside on the terrace was a beautiful bocce court, so dressed in our evening clothes, we played a spirited game under the stars.
Go for the marble dust, or crushed oyster shells, and keep the wooden side walls.
Rick Sparks
finish the story ……how was the repair made…..is marble dust superior to stone dust, or is it the same…i have two 90 ft. courts and i need to add surface material…
@ Vince – You’re right. I should finish the story. The repairs were made — the walls were replaced with with treated wood and held in place with corrugated iron rails. And yes, a layer of marble dust, which is easy to find in our area because there are many marmistas or marble workers around.