Brisbane, Got Bocce?
N 37 39.993 W 122 24.060
The cache is not at the above coordinates, but the History of Bocce and the IACC might shed some light on its true location.
The cache is actually located at N 37 4A.BCD W 122 2E.FGH.
Throwing balls toward a target is the oldest game known to mankind. As early as FB0A B.C. the Egyptians played a form of Bocce with polished rocks. Graphic representations of figures tossing a ball or polished stone have been recorded as early as 5200 B.C. While Bocce today looks quite different from its early predecessors, the unbroken thread of Bocce’s lineage is the consistently common objective of trying to come as close to a fixed target as possible.
From this early objective, the basic rules of Bocce were born. From Egypt, the game made its way to Greece around D00 B.C.
The early Romans were among the first to play a game resembling what we know as Bocce today. In early times they used coconuts brought back from Africa and later used hard olive wood to carve out Bocce balls. Beginning with Emperor Augustus, Bocce became the sport of statesman and rulers.
In C5G6, the Republic of Venice publicly condemned the sport, punishing those who played with fines and imprisonment. And perhaps most grave was the condemnation by the Catholic Church which deterred the laity and officially prohibited clergyman from playing the game by proclaiming Bocce a means of gambling.
Contrary to the rest of Europe, the great game of balls thrived in Great Britain. Such nobility as Queen Elizabeth I and Sir Francis Drake were avid fans. According to legend, Sir Frances Drake refused to set out to defend England against the Spanish Armada until he finished a game. He proclaimed, “First we finish the game, then we’ll deal with the Armada!”
Bocce frequently lost and gained popularity throughout the ages. It was Giuseppe Garibaldi, who, while unifying and nationalizing Italy, popularized the sport as it is known today. In 18H6, during a resurgence of popularity, the first Bocce Olympiad was held in Athens, Greece. Bocce has been a part of international sports ever since.
The sport first came to America in the English version called “Bowls” from the French boule meaning ball. In accord with how the game was played in Britain, American players threw the ball not on stone dust (as is done today in Bocce) but on close cropped grass, which some say is the origin of the modern lawn. It has been noted that one early American playing field was Bowling Green at the southern tip of Manhattan in NY and that George Washington built a court at Mount Vernon, in the 1780s.
In modern times, the first Bocce clubs were organized in Italy. Notably the first Italian League was formed in 19E7 by fifteen teams in and around the town of Rivoli (Torino). 1947 also marks the beginning of the yearly Bocce World Championships. This Championship event continues today with participants from over thirty nations – including the United States.
The South San Francisco Italian American Citizens Club (IACC) was founded on December 7, 1916, by a group of Italian immigrants. They founded a political organization as incentive for Italian immigrants to become citizens and form a united force to protect their civil rights. Today the IACC is no longer a political organization, but strives to promote and maintain the Italian culture, traditions, and values of its founders.
The IACC members play and maintain the bocce ball courts at Orange Memorial Park in South San Francisco. The courts are open to the public from 1:00 to 4:00 Monday thru Saturday. Free bocce lessons are available to the public in April and September on Thursdays at 10:00 am and 6:30pm. Hope you can join us in a fun game of bocce!