Rome Toccolana Club Cancels 2021 World Series Of Bocce For Second Year – Documentary On Hold

The World Series of Bocce has been canceled for 2021 after an exciting announcement that the event would be held this coming July.

On March 16, 2021, The Toccolana Club announced the return of the World Series of Bocce in Rome the week of July 15-18, and 2 months later, according to a report from WKTV, that decision has been reversed after a meeting with Rome Mayer Jackie Izzo.

With the Rome World Series Canceled, it's unknown at this point what will happen with the World Series of Bocce Documentary that has been filming since March and would have continued through the July event.

The Russo Brothers Italian American Film Forum (Directors of Captain America, Avenger movies, and many other notable films) awarded a grant to Bill Vinci and Francis DiClemente. They were hoping to be considered for the 2020 Best Film Award, but the documentary would need to be completed and submitted by September 1, 2021, with the three film finalists announced on September 30th, 2021.

Vinci tells us he has reached out and is waiting to hear back from The Rome Toccolana Club about the future of the documentary.

With the unfortunate news of The World Series of Bocce being cancelled this year, we are hoping that the grant we won from the Italian American Heritage can be carried over into next year so we're able to continue working on the documentary.  We will keep you posted as soon as we get a decision.

The Toccolana Club, located at 1412 East Dominick Street in Rome, was established in 1925 and has evolved over the years. In 2019 there was over $30,000 in Prize Money offered in the tournament.

This is not the first event canceled in Rome, Honor America Days were also axed. Organizers say immense logistical issues to ensure the safety of spectators, volunteers, exhibitors, and participants is what led them to cancellation.

Mayor Izzo states with restrictions in place it would be impossible for the Honor America Days Committee to verify vaccination or COVID-19 test results for thousands of spectators plus enforce 6-foot physical distancing.

“We will therefore have to forego Honor America Days this summer and look forward to 2022. I know this is not what the community had been hoping for, but we must comply with New York State restrictions to control the public health emergency.”