This game is the most complete and entertaining in the family of the "stop" games. In the first discovered boards, the stated tax amounted to one schilling, which dates back the origin of the game to the period between 1825 and 1860.

THE LEGEND

For the whole Middle Ages and further on, the story was told of a woman, who mysteriously ascended St. Peter's throne. She was dominated by the desire of learning and been wandering about the monasteries and the cultural centres of half Europe, skilfully disguised as a monk; she soon astonished everyone for her cleverness and her erudition and eventually she was ordained cardinal.

At the pope's death, the Holy concistory, exhausted by the internal struggles (it was a "dark" age), decided to elect to Peter's seat not a politician, but a learned man. So the very learned monk, who went on hiding her true feminine identity under male clothes, was elected pope. Once in Lateran, Giovanna dismissed prelates and servants, but kept with her a young and handsome manservant whom she made read the Holy Scriptures and the secret prophetic books. Very soon the servant noticed the pope's odd behaviours, but he did not mention it to anybody, so much he was devoted to the pope. But one day, while he was reading the Book of Jacob, the pope smiled at him and took his hand……….

The female pope and the servant made love for a long time in the most secret room of the palace. The female popekept her love secret as long as she could, but one day, while she was leading the Corpus Domini procession, her body started twisting and contracting under the fit of the childbirth pains. Between the Basilica of St.John and that of St. Clement, in the place where until 1500 there was the ill-famed "Vicus Papissae". Giovanna gave birth to a small pope under the very eyes of cardinals, clergy and people. In the light of such on abomination, the Curia was so upset that they established the custom to make the pope, as soon as he was elected, sit on the famous "gestatorial" chair, from where it was possible to ascertain his sex.

THE GAME

NUMBER OF PLAYERS: as many as desired.

GAME PURPOSE: to finish playing all the cards first or to play some cards in the way of winning as many fiches as possible.

GAME EQUIPMENT: 1 pack of cards; 30 or more fiches for each player. (Red fiches are worth twice the green ones).

GAME RULES:

1. The pack holder takes the 8 of diamonds away from the pack to maake the play of the PAPESSA GIOVANNA, that is the 9 of diamonds, more difficult. ( The aces have the lower value).
   
   
2. Each player, the pack holder included, "dresses" the tray by putting 15 fiches into the various compartments; 6 to the PAPESSA GIOVANNA, 2 to Matrimony and Intrigue and 1 to Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Game.
   
   
3. After shuffling, all the cards are delt to the players, except for a hand which will remain aside, covered, with those that are left from the dealing. This is the heel.
   
   
4. The player at the pack holder's left starts the game putting an uncovered card in the middle of the board and declaring its symbol and value.
   
   
5. The player who holdsthe card (or cards) of the same symbol and immediately superior to the card played, puts it on top of the first one, saying it aloud. The game goes on like that until nobody can add cards because:
   · they arrived at King of that symbol.
   · The needed card remainedin the heel.
   · It has already been played.
   · It is the 8 od diamonds.
   
   
6. If a card that nobody can cover is palyed, it is possible to play another one as preferred.
   
   
7. The one who plays the Jack, the Queen, the King, the Ace or the nine of diamonds, wins the fiches that are in the corresponding sector; if he plays Queen and King, he also wins the fiches that are in the Matrimony sector and if he plays Jack and Queen, those of Intrigue. As a conseguence, the player so lucky as to have and play Jack, Queen and King of diamonds wins the stake of 5 out of the 8 board squares.
   
   
8. The one who manages to play first all the cards he has, wins the match and takes all the fiches from the tray. He also receives a fiche for each card that remained in the other player's hands, but the one who owns the Papessa Giovanna, is free from penalty.