Angelo Licata, Ralph Lubrono, Giovani Romano, Mario Feola, Nuncio Illiano and Giuseppe Coppola
Carroll Park, 2011
Years ago, just like clockwork, the Italian bocce guys of Carroll Park would re-appear on the first nice spring days in the neighborhood, just as dependably as the daffodils and the ice cream truck.
They would spend hours meticulously grooming the court before the first game of the season, play and argue over the score, and then spend the rest of the afternoon chatting away.
Sadly, these last few years, the bocce courts have remained empty as the older generation has passed away and many of Carroll Gardens' next Italian/American generation has moved away.
I was reminded of these lovely Italian gentlemen when someone stumbled onto the photos recently and reposted them on Facebook.
Though some Carroll Gardeners newcomers sometimes play bocce or pétanque, its French equivalent, in our neighborhood park, spring just hasn't been quite the same these past few years.
The empty bocce court as I walked through Carroll Park today
The empty bocce court as I walked through Carroll Park today
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14 comments:
My god. They are gone. This is the passing of time..
So the courts will be torn up now? With the new renovations? I hope not.
Wonderful memories. Giovani Romani was our neighbor. A real old school gentleman and a great cook. We looked forward to his zucchini blossom fritters in the summer from his lush vegetable garden. Miss him and his friends from the old school
The neighborhood has transformed for the worse with the loss of its iconic citizens, loss of character, loss of single family brownstones, loss of LICH with "replacement" of the dangerous and avaricious NYU Langone Cobble Hill ER. Carroll Gardens is further destroyed by marijuana and rising crime. The French can never replace old italian bocci; they are rude residents with an attitude along with the hipsters.
Yes- that was part of the special flavor of the neighborhood for 50 years. Times change, neighborhoods change... which is what makes the city a living dynamic place. Thus we need to take back that space so that the current residents can enjoy it.
I'm not sure what the heck Anonymous 9:15AM is talking about. Crime is been on the decline since the 90s in NYC and the rest of the US. Pot is most definitely not a problem. It's only a matter of time before the NY State legislature finally legalizes it.
Secondly, complaining about the nationality of people and making sweeping generalizations just makes you a bigot.
Bully here,
I seem to remember the bocce court being locked except when these gentlemen used it. Am I correct? If so, this is not exactly the best way to keep a tradition alive.
Bully,
The upper bocce court was always locked, whereas the lower one closer to the monument was accessible to all.
The reason the upper one was closed was that people used it as a dog run and kids would dig in it.
For those wishing to use it to play bcee, the keys can be gotten through either the Parks Department or through Friends of Carroll Park.
Miss those guys and miss, sort of, the fact that they had exclusive access. There was never any indication that a key was available, no information about how to get one, etc.
I used to live next door to Ralph Lubrono. He is sadly no longer with us.
i used to play on the bocce court - as recently as last summer - and i'm neither italian nor old. as katia says, you can get the keys through the parks department - it's not hard. BYOB - b is for balls.
regarding the comment by anonymous at 9:15 AM: on behalf of everyone who is not your definition of the kind of resident you want in this neighborhood, maybe it's time for you to look around for either a shift in attitude or another place to live. seriously. generalizing like that about entire groups of people reminds me of this neighborhood when i first moved here - a lot of bigotry, especially from the old guard - most of whom identified as "italians." if that makes me rude, then so be it. consider your sources of information before showcasing your ignorance like that.
It's true. I was able to get a key, though it wasn't easy to track someone down and once I did I was given a bit of an inquisition about what I was going to do on the bocce court. My answer was play bocce of course. After seven or eight more questions I was given the key.
Of course, the first time I went to play with a friend, I was confronted by an older gentleman who told me it was his court and demanded to know how I had gotten the key. He wasn't there to play, he was just walking by. Then he accused me of stealing his bocce set! Much like 9:15, there are a lot of folks who complain about "new comers" to the neighborhood, but I gotta say, I've found many of the longterm residents to be extremely unwelcoming and very concerned about the evolving demographics of the neighborhood. Respect works both ways, ya know?
Yes, per Anonymous March 15 5:52, silly to pretend court was really available to all, it was "selective" by design in many ways and de facto in others. It's true, I suppose, if you thought or knew--who would, who wouldn't--to walk yourself over to get a key and were "approved," which just perhaps might have had something do with race and probably age and other biases, you earned yourself the right to dirty looks and vitriol...in a public park! It was sweet to see the guys play but there was a downside to their privilege, isn't there always, and to pretend not so is a sign of, well, privilege...and that privilege too comes with a downside. So onwards!
With the oldsters no longer monopolizing the courts, it would be great if there were community play days with open pick up games for bocce and petanque. Pick up games work for basketball, why not for bocce/boules?
Amen anonymous 9:15......neighborhood was much friendlier and cleaner “back then”. Front gardens on place blocks were filled with fig trees and flowers. I’m Carroll gardens born & bred, and I’ve seen lots of changes. Folks cleaning front sidewalks & exchanging pleasantries.
Yes, times do change, but not for the better in CG.
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