Italian games – adoption and adaptation

It may seem strange that this chapter on Italian games based on the Game of the Goose has not appeared earlier in this book, given that the earliest known printed games are of Italian origin, as mentioned in Chapter 2. However, by comparison with the games of France, Britain and Germany already discussed, Italian games saw relatively little in the way of innovation up to the end of the 19th century. The classic 63-space Game of the Goose was interpreted quite strictly in Italy, almost without variation in the rules. However, in the 19th century, a specifically Italian modification of the classic game appeared whereby the track of the Game of the Goose was extended to 90 spaces, though the earlier examples have a note in the rules explaining that by agreement the game can still terminate at 63. The number 90 was chosen because of its link with the Italian Lottery, being the number of balls from which drawings are made and so considered lucky in itself.

Educational games were largely, though not exclusively, adapted from French models. A notable exception is the geographic game by the French historian Casimir Freschot (1640?–1720), described below. Notable also is the work of Giuseppe Maria Mitelli (Bologna, 1634–1718), whose engravings included many stampe populari: of these, several dozen were games, mostly of the pay-or-take lottery kind, but including a handful of variants of the Game of the Goose. These were distinctly games for adults, with a satirical cast.

The unification of Italy was recognised by the publication in 1861 of a patriotic variant of the Game of the Goose, celebrating the events and personages of that momentous time. Explicitly aimed at family entertainment and instruction were the games appearing at the end of the 19th century that displayed a world tour, based on the itineraries developed in France for private tourists.

Sources and collections

The most useful overview of the printed board games of Italy is the book by Mascheroni and Tinti. This sets the games in the context of games from other countries, principally France. The large format allows rules and other material printed on the game to be read easily and the accompanying essays are useful.