Join the fun!

The Bocce Tournament is one of the major events of Festa and we want your team to join in the fun!

Tournament Format

By popular demand, this year, the Isernio’s Bocce tournament moves back to the dance floor on the 3rd Level of the Armory (formerly called the Center House). This will allow for many more spectators to observe close up while still distanced from the players. We invite your club or organization to participate in the tournament with as many teams of four as you wish. As always, this will be a double-elimination contest.

All teams must be registered by 8:30 am and “Play” will begin each day at 9:00 am. Latecomers may forfeit their chance to play after that time.
The Bocce committee reserves the right to reassign a team to another category if necessary. You will be advised by phone if this occurs.

Teams

Teams may be coed and should have their own equipment. The entry fee is $150.00 per team ($37.50 per player). A coupon for an Isernio’s sausage sandwich and a soft drink will be given to each team member. First place teams in both categories will receive an impressive Bocce Trophy.

Registration

Registration will be closed as of 5PM Thursday, September 24, 2026, so please get your teams registered early to insure your place in the competition. Registrations received after that date may not be accepted.

Registration is now open. To enter your team simply register and pay via the EventBrite online application:

In the meantime, for specific information about this exciting tournament at Festa, contact:

Scott Henry, (206) 250-7324
scotthenry@johnlscott.com

Remember, you can’t play without registering!

Rules

Previous Tournament Participants

Bocce winners 2005, with official, photo

Italian Food Quiz and Presentation from the Dante Alighieri Society

Quiz and Presentation

For the past several years, Domenico Minotti has prepared a quiz for Festa Italiana, an annual celebration of Italian culture, food and music held each year at the Seattle Center at the end of September. Since this year’s Festa Italiana will be virtual, Domenico has prepared a virtual quiz to go along with that. The quiz was premiered September 9th 2020 at the Dante Alighieri Society’s English Language meeting held virtually on Zoom. Links to PDFs of the quiz and the answer key along with the presentation are available below.

Presentation

English / Italian

Virtual Festa Italiana Quiz

English / Italian

[Festa Quiz 2020 Answer Key]

About Domenico (“Nick”) Minotti

In the late 1920s, Nick’s parents emigrated from Sant’Angelo, Limosano, a small hilltop town in Molise. The population at that time was about 1000 but is now 345 as Nick learned on a visit last year. The family spoke their dialect at home. Nick studied Italian at Columbia University and Perugia and got lots of practice while on Fulbright study grants in Milan in the mid 60’s. Nick returned to the states and to his first love, medicine, at Georgetown University and came to Seattle in 1976 to work at the US Public Health Hospital on Beacon Hill, better known as the Marine Hospital. He and his father Pasquale would attend Dante meetings back then but took a break until retirement a few years ago. Nick serves as a Consigliere for our Dante group.

Roberto Mario Tacchi, memorial collection

A special memorial collection of works has been added to “Le Arti della Festa Italiana” Art Exhibit at the Italian Festival this year in honor of Roberto Mario Tacchi whose elegant woodcarvings adorn Seattle public spaces and personal collections and who passed away May 15, 2019 at the age of 80. Born in Florence Italy, Roberto learned his craft from his father, becoming the seventh generation of woodcarvers in the Tacchi family.

As opposed to his large public works, this collection will be of “chamber pieces” that he carved primarily for family, friends and private collectors. They will be on display in the Armory on Saturday and Sunday, September 28 & 29, 2019 from 10 AM – 5 PM each day. Admission is free. Patrons of the “Taste of Italy” Wine Tasting on Friday night, September 27th will also be able to view the collection.

His public works present in the Seattle area include the exterior doors of the First Presbyterian Church in downtown Seattle, the chapel at Providence Marianwood in Issaquah and a memorial display in the Bell Harbor Conference Center. Surely even more treasured are the frames, sea shells and other carvings found in the homes of the many people who sought out his work for its elegance and sensuous beauty. When the Henry Art Gallery at the University of Washington obtained the loan of Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi painting in 1982, they commissioned Roberto to carve a Late Gothic altar and triptych in order to properly display this revered work.

Galbani’s Celebrity “Chef Marco” Mark Sciortino

Mark Sciortino “Chef Marco”, owner of Marco’s Italian Restaurant, in Buffalo, NY, has been creating and serving traditional, family–favorite, Italian dishes for over 30 years. He also owns the locally famous Marco’s Italian Deli, tagged as “Home of the Original SANGWICH!” which is a term used by many Italian communities in place of “sandwich”.

Lactalis American Group, Inc., headquartered in Buffalo, NY, is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A., an Italian public entity majority-owned by France-based Groupe Lactalis – the world’s largest producer of premium cheese. They hired Chef Marco in 2008, to be their spokesman for Sorrento® and Precious® Cheeses. He demonstrated creative and fun cooking tips using their products for three national TV shows. Due to his immense success as a TV personality, Chef Marco continues to make appearances. He performs cooking demos from coast to coast, for the cheese company’s many sponsored Italian festivals, under their new name Galbani® Cheese – Italy’s #1 cheese brand. Along with the festival cooking demos, Marco has appeared on numerous morning shows in Los Angeles, South Florida, and New York. He was also the featured chef for many years on “Come Dine with Me WNY!” and “Winging it Buffalo Style,” local TV shows in Western New York.

To find out more information about Chef Marco visit www.galbanichefmarco.com

About Galbani®

First crafted in Italy by Egidio Galbani in 1882—Galbani® has long been the #1 cheese brand in Italy. For over 130 years, Galbani has been delighting families all over Italy. Today the Galbani brand brings its timeless tradition from Italy to the American table with the delicious taste of mozzarella, ricotta, fresh mozzarella, and snack cheese made and sold in the United States. Galbani® cheese is a leading brand of Lactalis American Group, Inc. (“LAG”). Headquartered in Buffalo, NY, LAG is a subsidiary of Parmalat S.p.A., an Italian public entity majority-owned by France-based Groupe Lactalis – the world’s largest producer of premium cheese. LAG produces a wide array of cheese products, including a variety of specialty cheese available to retail, foodservice and industrial customers.

Bocce Tournament

Join the fun!

Tournament Format

Categories

Recreational

Masters