The Mystery of Bolognese Sixty-Two Card Tarot

While most people associate tarot cards with fortune-telling, they originated as a complex trick-taking game in Bologna. Players use a unique 62-card deck that has remained a local tradition for over five centuries.

This regional card game, known as Tarocchini, is a specific variation of the larger tarot family. The name literally means little tarot, referring to the strategic decision to trim the standard 78-card deck down to 62. For hundreds of years, this game has been a staple of social life in the Emilia-Romagna region. It serves as a fascinating reminder that these iconic symbols began as simple tools for competition rather than mysticism.