Through the depictions in the art gallery and Mazzetti’s historical rooms, we can trace an interesting picture of 18th century hobbies.<\/p>\n\n
BOCCHERINI AND THE MINUET HOUSEKEEPERS AND CHILDREN’S GAMES CARNIVAL TRADITIONS BETWEEN COMMEDIA DELL’ARTE AND GAMBLING<\/p>\n\n In Mazzetti\u2019s Gallery, commedia dell’arte<\/strong> is commemorated through the gilded stucco decorations by Marsilio Roncati of Meride, featuring characters consisting of fixed and codified types, while the plot was improvised and based on a simple outline.<\/p>\n\n During Carnival, gambling<\/strong> became a real passion, as described by Carlo Goldoni in his plays. Luck plays a decisive role compared to the skill of the player in biribiss<\/strong> or biribisso, the ancestor of roulette<\/strong>, which was very widespread in Venice, being a close relative of the lottery. In this regard, Casanova mentions 22 different games from the 18th century and manages the Lottery of the military school<\/em> in Paris<\/em>, where lottery means the Genoese lottery<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n In the play \u2018Una delle ultime sere di Carnovale\u2019<\/em> (One of the Last Nights of Carnival), Goldoni describes in detail the Venetian game of meneghella<\/strong> (menega<\/em> in Venetian means Sunday and meneghella<\/em> is the diminutive form. The card called meneghella is the two of swords), while for sbaraglino<\/strong>, called backgammon or tric trac<\/strong> elsewhere, good luck counted more than the player’s skill.<\/p>\n\n ZODIAC HALL: ALCHEMY, HOROSCOPE AND TAROT CARDS<\/p>\n\n The Zodiac Hall shows allegorical decorations depicting the four seasons and the signs of the zodiac<\/strong> alongside the lunettes<\/em>. The influence of the planets was considered fundamental for studying the birth charts of noblewomen or for predicting important events. QUARREL BETWEEN CARD PLAYERS: FARAONE AND BASSETTA<\/p>\n\n Evidence of the popularity of various card games in the 18th century can be found on the overdoor panel painted by Giovanni Michele Graneri in 1754-56, which depicts a \u201cQuarrel between card players<\/em><\/strong>\u201d.<\/p>\n\n