About Us
America’s First Complete Bocce Facility and Italian Ristorante
Campo di Bocce of Los Gatos is a family owned Italian restaurant and United States Bocce Federation affiliated Bocce Club located in the beautiful town of Los Gatos. The fundamental building blocks for first class bocce clubs in the United States, our Los Gatos location opened its doors in 1997. The first and premiere bocce and dining entertainment facility of its kind, Campo di Bocce is the brain child of Bocce Aficionado, Tom Albanese. In his quest to create a place for food, friends, fun and of course bocce, Tom, has created the ideal location for any family gathering, corporate outing, rehearsal dinner, wedding or simply a venue to enjoy a glass of wine after a long work week.
In the capable and passionate hands of General Manager, Benjamin Musolf, Campo di Bocce of Los Gatos has become a fixture on the bocce circuit and among locals looking to enjoy a fine glass of wine. Truly the ultimate experience in dining and recreation, Campo di Bocce of Los Gatos offers 8 World Class, State-of-the-Art bocce courts, traditional Italian cuisine, a superb wine list and a friendly atmosphere of casual elegance.
Playing host to multiple regional, national and international competitions Campo di Bocce has gained international recognition as a destination facility for bocce players across the globe; all the while, making bocce accessible to people of all ability levels. With eight Colleoni World Class bocce courts, four indoor and four outdoor, and bocce staff on hand to give instruction, Campo di Bocce shares the Old World game of bocce with the masses.
Campo Di Bocce – from Italy to Los Gatos
Tom Albanese and his friends enjoyed their Thursday night Los Gatos Bocce group. They rotated among homes where friends had built Bocce courts in their backyards. The rules were simple: bring food and wine to share and have fun. Eventually, Tom built his own Bocce court in his backyard. “It’s such a social game; anyone and any age can play, enjoy friends, food, and wine— all around a fun game of Bocce,” says Tom.
Tom’s family originated in Italy, and when he took his wife and daughters on vacation to the small hilltop town of Campobasso, amidst the fine Italian cooking and local wines, Tom discovered the town’s Bocce courts at the local Bocciodromo (a large building with Bocce courts, a restaurant, a bar, and a children’s play area). As he watched families enjoying their time together, the idea for Campo di Bocce was born.
Upon his return home, Tom looked for a property that would house his idea. He also interested his Bocce friends in investing. A local lumberyard was for sale. The size and location were perfect for the design, which included eight Bocce courts, an Italian restaurant, and a bar. Campo di Bocce opened in 1997, its mission to show the Los Gatos community just what fun Bocce is.
Campo di Bocce soon became a popular destination for friends, families, and even corporate team-building events. Apple, Google, Adobe, and other Silicon Valley companies brought their employees to enjoy great food and foster camaraderie. Campo di Bocce’s influence became more than local: it paved the way for the popularization of Bocce on the West Coast, hosting numerous tournaments, among them the National Bocce Championships.
The Campo di Bocce staff will gladly teach any beginner or group how to play the game.
Our Mission
Campo di Bocce is dedicated to providing an environment that enables our customers to enjoy our hospitality, good service, excellent food, and the great game of bocce. We are also committed to providing our employees with an environment where they are treated fairly and given the opportunity to prosper with the success of our business. Sempre Bocce!
Play Bocce!
At Campo di Bocce we believe that bocce is a sport for everyone and anyone. We have handicap-accessible courts for those who need access, bocce instructors, and a full staff trained and ready to show you the game, all the equipment you need, and world-class courts to boot! Regardless of gender, ethnicity, ability or age, we can make bocce your game, your pastime, and your passion. Make a reservation and get bitten by the bocce bug!
Our Owners & Management
Tom Albanese, Owner, and Founder – His family hailing from Campobasso, Italy, Tom is a second-generation Italian-American born in San Jose, California. He was raised in the Santa Clara Valley and spent his entire life in the valley. He went to Santa Clara University where he met and fell in love with his late wife Maureen. After graduation in 1968, Tom served in the United States Marine Corps. After his discharge, he and Maureen married and raised three beautiful daughters while living in the town of Los Gatos and later in Saratoga. Tom and Maureen had a wonderful thirty-five years together before her untimely passing. Tom works in the concrete ready mix business running Central Concrete Supply based in San Jose, California.
Although Tom is not a national bocce champion or known as a tournament bocce player, he is one of the great friends of the game of bocce and was recognized by the United States Bocce Federation with Wall of Honor accolades in 2006.
His vision in building a first-class facility where beginners and experts can enjoy the game and also a fine meal has inspired others to continue with the concept. Bocce has gained national and international exposure because of some of the events hosted by Tom including the 2000 friendship games with China, Italy, and France, the 2002 National Bocce Championships, the 2006 North American Championships and 2007 National Bocce Championships, and the many charity and celebrity charity bocce events held over the years. Since opening the Campo di Bocce of Los Gatos in 1997, hundreds of thousands of people have passed through the doors and have been exposed to this wonderful game. Counting repeat visits, it may be said that close to a million customer visits have occurred over the years at Los Gatos.
One of Tom’s passions is hosting charity bocce tournaments. Over a million dollars has been raised for worthy causes through the annual Madden Mariucci Charity Bocce Tournament. The celebrity bocce tournament format pioneered by Tom and his friends Steve Mariucci and John Madden just celebrated Ten Years of Giving with the 10th Annual tournament hosted by Campo di Bocce’s. A quote from Tom’s remarks included in the program from the 2002 National Championships says it best:
“I had noticed that through my association with the Los Gatos Bocce Club and my involvement with family and charity bocce parties at my house for St. Mary’s Church it had become noticeable that this game was made for everybody. I also realized that life was too short not to try and provide an environment where people could enjoy a simple game that also could be played by all groups, all ages, men and women, and all nationalities – truly a unique sport that cannot be surpassed.”
Benjamin Musolf, C.O.O – A tireless leader, Benjamin is constantly plotting new ways to make every guest and player a part of the family. Truly an advocate of bocce and wine, Benjamin pours his heart into each wine on the wine list and every bocce event hosted at Campo di Bocce.
Along with his duties as C.O.O., Benjamin is a Level Two Sommelier certified with the Court of Master Sommeliers and a World Class Bocce player and coach. When not planning the next big bocce tournament or turning one of his many ideas into reality, Benjamin can be found on the bocce courts coaching the Campo di Bocce Ladies team or practicing for the 2008 North American Championships, tasting wines and refining the wine list and enjoying both his Campo di Bocce family and his beautiful wife and two daughters at home.