By Davide Arminio

There's a game that's becoming increasingly popular in New Mexico, and it's not American. It's bocce (also called "boccie" or "bocci" in English) and it's one of the oldest games played by mankind. Invented probably in ancient Egypt some five thousand years ago, spread throughout the Roman Empire, then solidified in its current form in Italy, bocce was initially brought to the New World in its British version.

It's said that George Washington was among the early players, and that he had a court built at his Mount Vernon's manor. The game as we know it today came into its own thanks to Italian immigrants; hence it's very popular where Italian heritage and identity are strongest – especially in California, Illinois and New Jersey. 

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Source: http://www.abqjournal.com/