Italian language course: Tarot News, September 2004

Italian Tarocchi: Tarot cards have their origin in Italy as part of the great cultural achievements of renaissance in 15th century. Modern Tarot owes its strong development the great divinatory interests in the U.S., easily it is overlooked, that Tarocchi are in Italy a traditional object for art research and well-established iconography. The local interests are celebrated and manifested by many great events, from which the most noteworthy of the recent past might have been the exhibitions held at the Este Castle of Ferrara (from December 1987 to February 1988), at the National Museum of Castel S. Angelo (Rome, December 1994), at the City Archeological Museum of Bologna (December 1995) and at the Barolo Palace of Turin (April 1997).

In the background of this high-level Italian activities is the work of Andrea Vitali with his Associazione Culturale Le Tarot, in close alliance with the Italian Tarot author Giordano Berti with his Istituto Graf., known from his cooperation with Tarot producer Lo Scarabeo. At the index-page of Associatione Le Tarot is an extended and impressive composition of the organised events, which are not limited to the theme Tarocchi alone, but also include other topics of renaissance culture and art.

In our communication Andrea Vitali described his Tarocchi exhibition and his next intentions, which aim to make it possible to see the collected objects outside of Italy:
"Our exhibition is not simply an exhibition of cards, in the sense of only a presentation of tarot decks. It is an exhibition of the symbolic and iconographic universe of tarots, taking account of the links they have with the mysticism, theology, cosmology and the philosophical currents which inform the iconographic variants. It is all illustrated by pictures, old books and documents. The exhibition thus offers different levels of reading, from the harmony of the medieval world to the decorative arcanes of hermetic thought, from game to magic and thus what lies behind.

When I affirm that our exhibition is one of the most important ever organised, I am referring as much to its size as to the quality of its content, which presents the philosophic currents that inform the iconographic variants of the tarot and their symbolic significance. It is probably the only exhibition with such a vision. The public is extremely interested in it and the success of the exhibition encountered in Italy is the proof. In some cases research into the artistic patrimony, religious or secular, the paintings, frescoes or other things, of the town holding the exhibition have been undertaken, and their links with the tarots have been brought into the light.

It is to be hoped that a large exhibition could be organised in an important place, and I have good reason to think that it will see the day, like we have done in Italy. The exhibition could become traveling, to be held in towns of smaller importance, in view of the interest they would show or because there were tarot card makers there, or also because there are works of art there related to the theme. And without excluding for all that that it might be a case of a simple touristic or cultural event".


Future expositions are actually in preparation in Rome and Bologna.


Andrea Vitali has published in Italian language in the time between 1987 and 1994 various articles to specific Tarot cards. "The cards with which I am concerned are those which necessitate a very attentive iconological analysis, being the Fou, Pendu, Temperance (in particular the Alessandro Sforza tarots), the Tour, the Stars, the Moon, the Sun and the World." The articles contain very nice picture material, often enough otherwise unknown.
Generously Andrea Vitali has given the allowance to present two of them at pages of Trionfi.com, it is their first appearance in English language. Additionally Andrea has offered further articles in the future for our iconographical section, where they are included to our collection to the same theme with articles from Bob O'Neill, Ross Gregory Caldwell, Tom Tadfor Little and Michael J. Hurst.


Andrea Vitali: The Hanged Man
Andrea Vitali: The Tower

Alain Bougearel, who is familiar with Andrea Vitali's work, commented in "Origines et histoire du tarot" published in 1997 :
"Comme le souligne le spécialiste italien de l'iconographie historique du Tarot, Andrea Vitali, les conceptions éthiques et mystiques du Tarot évoqueraient de façon pédagogique les Triomphes de Pétrarque "décrivant les forces fondamentales qui... gouvernaient l'humanité en fonction d'une hiérarchie bien établie". "A ma connaissance, Andrea Vitali est, de tous les tarologues contemporains, le médiéviste le plus pertinent.
Il voit les 22 "sujets allégoriques" structurés selon une logique ascentionnelle proche des conceptions aristotéliciennes du Cosmos"