Boccia is an Italian lawn bowling game played on a long, narrow court and has been played in Europe for over 7,000 years. Waldensian men brought the game from Italy, and it has remained part of Valdese culture through the generations. It has been said that Napoleon once outlawed the game for his troops because they were too involved in it and not focused on the war. Play requires a court of hard packed dirt, 50 to 75 feet long and 12 to 20 feet wide, a set of 8 handballs, 1 boccia per player, a small target ball called a bouchin, and two teams of 4 players each. The boccia used for play, a wooden or plastic handball 4 1/4 inches in diameter, gives the game its name. Before play, the court is wetted and carefully swept or brushed to smooth bumps and remove pebbles or debris that could deflect a ball. When the court is ready, the bouchin is rolled to one end, and players take turns rolling their handballs ever closer to the target ball. The four balls closest to the bouchin each score a point, and the first team to score twelve points wins the match. There was a time when only men were allowed to play, but today boccia is enjoyed by all.