Visting the historic Little Italy neighborhood in lower Manhattan of New York City, notably Mulberry St., makes for a memorable experience for any of us who share Italian American roots. For it is truly recognized as the ground zero of Italian America!
Recently, “The Bocce Bros.” brothers Chris and Dante Lovell along with their bocce partner Anthony Cugini visited Little Italy Manhattan as guests to appear on the extremely popular Italian American Podcast (IAP), at Red Sauce studio. Chris, Dante, and Anthony live in Columbus, OH. Chris and Dante are native Youngstown, OH guys while Anthony hails from Columbus. Their fellow “Bocce Bros” partner Carmen Marinucci, also from Youngstown, could not make the podcast taping. Dante is the past president of the local Columbus Italian Club.
Who are the Bocce Bros.? Growing up in Youngstown, Dante and his brother Chris were immersed in a rich Italian heritage that included traditional food, music, and, of course, bocce. Bocce has always been a beloved pastime in Northeast Ohio, with numerous clubs and bars dedicated to the game. However, it was not until they moved to Columbus that their bocce journey truly began. There, they joined local leagues and met Anthony. The spark for The Bocce Bros. came when they had custom sweatshirts made for the Columbus Italian Festival – embroidered with “Youngstown Bocce” and an Italian flag to represent their hometown.
This interest revealed to them a vibrant bocce community that had not yet modernized. From there, “The Bocce Bros.” was born.
The IAP is a unique podcast that celebrates Italian American culture/heritage hosted by John Viola and Patrick O’Boyle. The IAP is recorded at Red Sauce studio at the corner of Mulberry & Grand streets in the heart of historic Little Italy Manhattan. The studio is decked out in everything Italian American.
In episode #378 of the IAP, Chris and Dante discuss their upbringing in the Youngstown area and how they formed a partnership with Anthony and Carmen to found the Bocce Bros. The podcast episode centered around how the The Bocce Bros. began, their passion and love for the game of bocce and how they are taking the game into the future. They all shared cherished family memories, starting at an early age when they played with their grandparents. The episode includes an entertaining and fun discussion about Italian Americans living across the state of Ohio in Youngstown, Cleveland, and Columbus.
Today, The Bocce Bros. mission is to promote the legacy and future of bocce while celebrating Italian American heritage through media, live streaming bocce tournaments podcasts, apparel, and community. Throughout the past five years, they’ve organized and played in bocce tournaments across America including Dallas, St. Louis, Columbus, Cleveland, Youngstown, and all-around Northeast Ohio.
Be sure to watch the IAP episode #378 of “The Bocce Bros.” A special thank you goes out to John and Patrick, the hosts of the IAP, who now have a little Italian American Ohio bocce story to share with their listeners and viewers. The Bocce Bros. are on all social media platforms.
