Il Giocatore del Biribissi

By and with Alessandro Bressanello  

In 1638, following the spread of gambling in the public streets, the first state-run gambling house was established in Venice. From that moment on, the city became an enormous Casino; the “Ridotti”—the rooms where gambling took place—grew beyond count. Games of chance, both card games like Bassetta, Faraone, and Meneghella, and table games like Biribissi and Lotto Reale, involved nobles and commoners alike. During Carnival, everyone hidden behind a mask wins, squanders fortunes, cheats, and swindles the naive souls who try their luck in the private and public halls now appearing in every sestiere.

The nobleman Florindo Querini, a grand gambler, will recount his gambling misadventures while simultaneously illustrating the games themselves and involving the audience in a round of Biribissi—the precursor to modern roulette. There will be no shortage of references to current Venetian events, filtered through the language of the era. Additionally, several erotic sonnets by the Venetian poet Giorgio Baffo will be presented, taken from the CD “Lode alle tette” (Ode to Breasts) produced on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of his death.