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Gianni prepares for the match by switching his sneakers to bocce shoes.
The team watches an opponent's ball roll into place.
As the match begins, one cannot help but notice that although Gianni Caselli stands
shoulder to shoulder with the other men, most are twice his age. At the age of 29, Gianni seems out of place in the
Bocciodromo, where retired men in their sixties come to pass the day. Make no mistake, Gianni belongs. With
his first throw of the ball we know Gianni is “The Champ,” as Aliventi Luerano claims. After the pallino is thrown, the action
begins. Each player takes his turn, gently rolling or “shooting” his bocce. Although Gianni has a
gentle touch, he is a master of “shooting.” Lining up for a “shooting” ball, Gianni eyes his target with
great concentration. He starts his approach, carefully planning every step until his graceful release.
The ball flies down the campo, knocking the opposing team’s ball away.
Discovering that he had the hand for bocce at the age of fourteen,
Gianni chose it over soccer. Starting off in the junior leagues, Gianni
soon became the champion of the "C" League, the lowest level of the three
bocce leagues. Players start in the "C" league and must earn a certain
number of points by winning matches before they can move to the "B" League
and eventually to the "A" League. In the "A" League, a player becomes a
professional who can win prize money. As a member of the C League in 1991,
Gianni won the Italian Championships. He moved to the "B" League in 1992
and then finally the "A" League in 1993 where he won two national championships
in the two versus two competition. His move from the C to the "A" League
in a matter of two years is a feat in itself, but his accumulation of awards
is even more impressive. In 1995, he went to Chicago to the World
Bocce Championships where the Cagli team took third place.After the championship, Gianni moved
down to the "B" League, having less time for bocce since becoming a policeman. He tries to play as much as
possible, around three to four times a week. Unfortunately, Sundays are the biggest days to play, and as
a policeman he only has one Sunday free a month. He is also able to stay active in the league,
Bocciofila Cagliese, through his position of Vice President.
Although he might not get to play as much as he would like, today’s game shows that the lack of
practice does not hinder his play. The game is coming to a close, but tensions are high. As both teams
near the 15-point mark they become quieter and more focused with each throw. As a player’s ball rolls to
a stop near the pallino, the ‘referee,’ an elder spectator, marks the position of the ball. All the
players who have already thrown their two balls stand in anticipation over the pallino as the Gianni
throws his last ball. Gianni takes careful aim and slowly lets his ball go. He walks slowly behind the
ball as it rolls into a position in the cluster of balls. He joins the group of men and a murmur spreads
among them. Which ball is closer? Gianni’s white ball or the opposing team’s blue ball? The referee picks
up the metal measuring stick to test the distances. Gianni’s ball is closer.Regardless of how much time he gets to play, it is obvious that he is one of the guys and he
respects the older players as much as they do him. After the round of bocce, all the men move into the
neighboring room where they sit down to games of pinochle. Gianni is no stranger here either. Grabbing a
beer and ice cream with the rest of the men, he sits down to his hand and gets lost in thought over his
next strategic move, this time with cards instead of the bocce ball.
