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STATEMENT OF PURPOSE
The purpose of this website and a brief historical background of the Circolo della Briscola of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area
Briscola News, a monthly local publication of the Circolo della Briscola of the Greater Washington, D.C. Area (hereinafter referred to as the Circolo), has been reporting the activity of this private briscola-playing group of men continuously since its inception on March 13, 1991. Its original title was: Briscola, or An Evening of Intellectual Challenge.
From our historical archives:
- On Wednesday night, March 13, 1991, three friends--all of Italian heritage, "Italian-Americans"--trying to resurrect an experience enjoyed as children of immigrant parents, sat and played our first partita di briscola very quietly in the comfort of the "Casa" Dāvoli dining room, after a light supper of pasta e piselli and salad. Another friend, who was to have been the fourth player, was not able to participate because of an out-of-town engagement. The evening was spent primarily teaching one member of the trio the essentials of a game he had long-ago forgotten.
Briscola News has chronicled each and every partita's activity, each event in which we briscolani have been involved outside the monthly games, and, in general, almost anything which has had to do with the playing of these Italian card games, principally briscola. The author/publisher--Enrico Dāvoli, a mostly-retired pediatrician, self-proclaimed as the "Roving Briscola Reporter" (RBR), respectfully (?) referred to as "Il Presidente" and who now prefers to be called "Ricuzzo", an endearing diminutive Calabrese pet name for his baptismal name of Enrico--has attempted to memorialize our monthly games in a mostly humorous vein, equating the oftentimes enthusiastic, vociferous, raucous, bellicose interchanges among the card-playing partners with battlefield scenarios.
The purpose of this website, however, is not so much to share our monthly Circolo's specific card-playing experiences with our visitors; rather, it intends to be a meeting place for all those individuals who share an interest in these Italian card games. It is Il Presidente's fervent desire to create an on-line meeting place for all of you tifosi, in which we can share experiences, thoughts, questions and, ultimately, foster and engender competition--tournaments or tornei--between our Circolo and other such organizations throughout the world.
This website will require time to develop fully; but the RBR has decided to make it available even at this early stage, to allow our visitors to provide input as the site is being actively developed. Please feel free to contact Ricuzzo at ricuzzo@mac.com at any time. Your input is highly valued.
"The journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step." So goes an ancient Chinese saying; I wish my father were still alive, as I could then have asked him for the equivalent Italian phrase. Pop always spoke to me in such Italian adages, sayings and phrases. I'm certain one of you out there in Internet Land knows it. I will be pleased to include it here, and give you appropriate credit.
Arrivederci e in bocca al lupo
Enrico Dāvoli
www.briscola-news.com