Italian Cards

Some of the oldest playing card patterns, or face designs, come from Italy. These patterns have survived over the centuries and variations have developed in various regions to reflect artistic preferences, cultural affinities, and even the tastes of various rulers from abroad. While there are sixteen generally recognized Italian patterns, three of them are far more popular than the rest: Napoletane, Siciliane, and Piacentine. The map below shows the distribution of these patterns.  Italian playing cards typically have 40 cards divided into four suits. These suits are coins (denari), swords (spade), cups (coppe), and clubs (bastoni), which are more generally referred to in the playing cards world as Spanish suits. You will find some similarities between our Spanish playing cards and our Italian playing cards. Each suit typically consists of cards one through seven and three face cards, although in lieu of the queen used in the Anglo-French pattern (the typical deck used in the U.S.) a knight on horseback is usually represented. These cards do not have indexes - the symbols of suit and rank in each corner - so you must count the pips (the number of suit symbols in the middle of the card). The most popular games played with Italian playing cards are Briscola and Scoppa. If you are unsure of which Italian playing cards to buy, most customers order the Napoletane cards.