Small Bakelite balls roll across the synthetic, sandy green of the playing field. Groups of elderly veterans circle the boccino (the small ball, also called the pallino or the jack). Lots are drawn. Luck chooses the first to roll. It’s a rule as old as the dawn of ages. In Italy, especially in the north in Piedmont and Lombardy, the game of bocce is an often forgotten passion, associated with the slow and wise life of village elders.

Yet, in Milan, there are many bocciodromi, hidden in the inner courtyards of railing houses or outdoors in the streets, shaded by the foliage of linden trees. In an osteria (like Progresso in the Maggiolina area) or by a soda kiosk (like the one on Viale Lazio), a few wicker or plastic chairs with lived-in corners create uneven circles around the tables next to the courts.