from L'Hermite en Italie, The LATEST WORK Of MR. JOUY. TUESDAY, APRIL 13, 1824

[sul gioco del Cucù] 

I had at first intended to go directly to Florence,"by the way of Placentia and Parma; but my wish to enjoy for'a longer time the society of my new fellow-traveller caused me to change my direction, and I determined to accompany him to Bobbio. ...
In the course of the evening we played the game of chuchu (pronounced kookoo) which is suitable only for numerous parties. The pack is composed of nineteen double cards, each bearing u number from one to fifteen ; on five of the cards, between five and fifteen, are represented either a prison, a cat, a horse, a bregou, or the chuchu, or crowned owl, which is the highest card. On five other cards are grotesquely painted the representations of a fool, a bucket, a yellow mask with long ears, and the word nulla; the bucket is of less value than nulla, and the yellow mask is the lowest card of all.
" When each person has received five counters, and deposited his quota in the pool, the cards of the two packs are shuffled and dealt by the person who cuts them, each player receiving only one card. If the player on the right of the dealer is not satisfied with his card, he may pass it to his neighbour, unless the card hdld by the latter confer on him the privilege of making the former keep his card, which he is then compelled to do, however bad it may be. This exchange of cards is continued throughout the whole circle, till it comes to the turn of the person on the left of the dealer. When a player meets in the hand of his neighbour, the priton, the bregou, or the chuchu, his card is stopped, and he puts a counter into the pool. If he meets the cat, his card is passed from player to player till it comes into the hands of its first owner. If he meets the hone, bis card is passed to the person immediately below him who holds the horte; when two foolt meet, the persons holding them are entitled each to take a counter from the pool, and that is called faire firinc. In short, when the circle is completed, those who hold the lowest cards are condemned to put a counter into the pool, and the game is repeated till only one counter remains. The person who holds this, wins the game.
This game was the constant amusement of the numerous parties of the Marchioness. The packs of cards are sold at Placentia, and entitled, by the manufacturers, Nuovo e dilettevole giuoco del Chuchu, o giuoco del tratto In Pia cenza; that is, the new and delightful game of the chuchu, or fool at Placentia.