A Taste Of Italy, One Card At A Time

Enjoying a taste of Italy around the table at Plenty, Mission Beach. From left, Giuseppe and Toni Santomingo, Lois Dawes and Veronica Papenga. Photo credit: Helen Cook

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Fancy learning something new, making a few friends and giving your brain a workout?

Tully resident Veronica Papenga is inviting locals to pull up a chair and try their hand at Scopa, a traditional Italian card game that brings people together for fun, friendship and a taste of Italian culture.

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Veronica grew up in Brisbane, learning Scopa from her father and grandfather, or Nonno, and watching family members gather around the card table. But her family's connections to Far North Queensland run deep. Her Italian grandparents emigrated from Italy and worked as sugarcane cutters in the Innisfail district, while her parents first knew each other as children through a family friendship that began at the Silkwood Hotel.

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Eighteen months ago, Veronica and her husband relocated from Brisbane when he secured a job at Tully Sugar Mill. Now, with their first baby due any day, her parents are considering moving back to the Far North to be closer to family. And Veronica is keeping family traditions alive by sharing them with her new community.

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Scopa, meaning 'to sweep' in Italian, is played with a special deck of 40 cards featuring four suits – coins, cups, clubs and swords. It's a game of numbers, memory and strategy, where players collect cards by matching values or adding them together.

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There's also Briscola, another popular Italian card game using the same deck, but with different rules, scoring and a trump suit, offering another challenge for those keen to learn.

For Veronica, these games are much more than entertainment.

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"I've grown up playing Scopa. It means a lot to me because it's part of my family," she said.  

“I still play every week.”

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She's even used the game to help children learn English while working as an au pair in Italy.

Veronica has already introduced Scopa to a small group at Nonna Angelina's in Innisfail and recently organised a gathering at Plenty in Mission Beach.

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Even with a newborn imminent, she's planning more opportunities for locals to get together and learn the games, with dates and venues to be announced. Young or old, Italian or not, everyone's welcome to pull up a chair and try their hand!

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To find out about upcoming gatherings, follow Scopa Club on Facebook or call Veronica on 0449 149 700 – but perhaps leave a message, as she might have her hands full with a new arrival!

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