Sicilian Playing Cards

The Sicilian Playing Cards (Carte da Gioco), produced by the historic manufacturer Dal Negro, is the traditional 40-card deck widely used throughout Sicily for games like Scopa, Briscola, and Tressette. Following the Italian pattern, the deck consists of four suits: Denari (Coins), Coppe (Cups), Spade (Swords), and Bastoni (Clubs). A very noticeable feature of these cards is their size: they are significantly smaller than most international decks, measuring only 51x82 mm.

The artwork is a refreshed version of the historic Sicilian pattern by Dal Negro. The Ace of Denari serves as the primary informational card, displaying the "Made in Italy" origin and the edition code "99E" around a central drawing of a joker. The 4 of Denari functions as the company signature card, showcasing the classic Dal Negro crown logo. A unique charm of the Sicilian pattern is the playful personality found on the low-numbered cards; these are decorated with small, supplementary vignettes of little humans, ships, houses, and dogs.

Above: Sicilian Playing Cards (Carte da Gioco) produced by Dal Negro, Treviso, Italy, 2000.

Most notably, the court cards consist of the Re (King), Cavallo (Knight on horseback), and the so-called Donna (a feminine Knave). While most Italian regional decks, such as the Neapolitan or Piacentine, feature an all-male court and refer to this lowest face card as a Fante (soldier), the Sicilian tradition identifies this card as a woman. This feminine presence is an archaic trait that predates the widespread adoption of the Queen in French-suited playing cards.

Author’s Note:

A good friend of mine traveled around Sicily while remote working during summer and saw the locals playing with these little cards. She immediately thought of me, so she went on a search to find a deck to bring back for me. Her personal favorite card is the 2 of Spade, purely because of the little dog depicted there!