PHOTO GALLERY: The "Anything Goes" Bocce Tournament

Bocce Ball is often compared to bowling. It's actually a lot more like billiards without a table. In a nutshell, a player from one team tosses a small ball called a Pallino onto a flat field or playing surface. Other players then take turns throwing larger balls onto the field, with the aim of getting them as close as possible to the Pallino without touching it.

Bocce has been inseparable from Italian culture since -- well, some say since the days of the Roman Empire. Today, it enjoys popularity with a wider audience.

But why call this the "Anything Goes" Bocce Tournament?

"We're not sticklers for rules," said chamber CEO Maria Martinucci. "That's why we won't have a lot of professionals. They hate to bend the rules. And oh, my God, we bend the rules."

All photos by Mathew Sumner, Mathew Sumner Photography.