Giordano Berti (born 27 February 1959) is an Italian writer and teacher of History of Arts. Born in Bologna, he grew up in Monghidoro, a town of the Tuscan-Emilian Apennines. After obtaining his College diploma he went on to study history and philosophy at University of Bologna and shortly thereafter started his career of editor and writer.

Berti is an established and prolific author of many books about different subjects, such as History of Esotericism (magic, divination, witchcraft, alchemy, astrology, heresies, gnosticism, heaven and hell, angels and devils) in his relationship with Art. Some of Berti's books are translated in English, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, Polish and Japanese.

He was president and co-founder of the Istituto Graf at Bologna, an association dedicated to the research and, often, rediscovery of the Arts and Folklore. Berti frequently organises, with the patronage and support of local Councils, many Art and History exhibitions throughout Italy.

As a Tarot historian, Berti was invited, as special guest, at the third World Tarot Congress, in Chicago (May 10 to 14 2001), were he delivered a long conference titled "The Babel of Tarot, or the evolution of the 22 allegoric Triumph cards as a transformation into an esoteric language"[1].

Berti is consultant for two Tarot and Playing Cards editors, Lo Scarabeo (Turin, Italy) and Dal Negro[2] (Treviso, Italy).

Contents 1 Various exhibits catalogues 2 Tarot exhibits and catalogues 3 Historical studies about tarot 4 New Tarot Decks 5 Other studies 6 External links

[edit] Various exhibits catalogues

Together with important historians, Berti organized various History Exhibits and wrote the relatives Catalogues:

• Chronicles and Wonders of the Sea. Illustrated Magazines: 1840-1960, with Maria Antonietta Stoico (Cesenatico Marine Museum, December 2005).
• The Sons of Abraham. Judaism, Christianism and Islam in Ritual Objects and Art (Abbiategrasso, Visconti Castle, March 2004).
• The XVIIth Century in Bologna. Baroque culture, industry and popular life, with Maria Antonietta Stoico (Bologna, D'Accursio Palace,May 2004).
• The Inquisition, with Franco Cardini (Finale Emilia Castle - Modena, September 2001).
• Vine and Wine. Ancient Card Games and Paper Games, with Andrea Vitali (Torgiano - Perugia, ex St. Anthony church, November - December 2000).
• Giovanni Domenico Cassini and the Origins of Modern Astronomy, with Paolo Aldo Rossi (Perinaldo - Imperia, Municipal Palace, August-November 1997).

[edit] Tarot exhibits and catalogues

Together with Andrea Vitali, Middle Age historian and President of the Associazione Le Tarot (Faenza, Italy), and Michael Dummett, a British philosopher, Berti organized various exhibits on the History and Art of Tarot:

• Este Castle of Ferrara (from December 1987 to February 1988),
• City Archeological Museum of Bologna (Bologna, December 1994),
• National Museum of Castel Sant'Angelo, Rome, March 1995),
• Barolo Palace (Turin, April 1997).

With Vitali, Berti also published some important catalogues:

• Tarocchi. Gioco e magia alla Corte degli Estensi (Bologna, Nuova Alfa Editorale, 1987)
• Tarocchi. Le carte del destino (Faenza, Edizioni Le Tarot, 1988)
• Tarocchi. Art and Magic (Faenza, Le Tarot, 1994).

[edit] Historical studies about tarot

In addition to the tarot exhibition catalogues, Berti published a lot of studies on tarot and card games history for the Italian editor Lo Scarabeo of Turin:

• Tarocchi Rider-Waite. Storia, riti iniziatici e pratiche divinatorie di Arthur Edward Waite, with Rossella Ferrero (1993).
• Antichi Tarocchi Bolognesi, with M. Chiesa and G. Crippa (1995).
• Antichi Tarocchi Liguri-Piemontesi, with M. Chiesa and T. Depaulis (1995).
• Antichi Tarocchi Milanesi, with M. Chiesa (1995).
• The Sola-Busca Tarot, with M. Chiesa and S. Di Vincenzo (1995).
• Egyptian Tarot, with T. Gonard (1997, in English and German).
• Antichi Tarocchi Marsigliesi, with T. Gonard (1998).
• Visconti Tarot, with T. Gonard (1998, in English, German and Dutch).
• Tarocchi di Aleister Crowley, with R. Negrini and R. Tebani (1999).
• Tarot of the New Vision, with T. Gonard (2005, in English).
• History of Tarot. Trues and Legends about the most mysterious Cards on the World (2007).

[edit] New Tarot Decks

Berti wrote, also, numerous reviews on Tarot of modern artists and himself invented new Tarot decks realized by great artists:

• Celtic Tarot (1994), 78 illustrations by Giacinto Gaudenzi.
• Celtic Tarot (1994), with Bepi Vigna, 78 illustrations by Antonio Lupatelli.
• Enchanted Tarot (1995), 78 illustrations by Giacinto Gaudenzi.
• Dante's Tarot (2001), 78 illustrations by Andrea Serio.
• Ramses. Tarot of Eternity (2003), 78 illustrations by Severino Baraldi.
• Golden Tarot of Renaissance - Estensi Tarot (2003), 78 illustrations by Jo Dworkin.
• Bacchus Tarot (2005), 78 illustrations by Luigi Scapini.
• Venice Tarot (2007), 78 illustrations by Davide Tonato.
• Angels Tarot (2007), 78 illustrations by Arturo Picca.
• Universal Wirth Tarot (2007), 78 illustrations by Stefano Palumbo.
• Initiatory Tarot of the Golden Dawn (2008), 78 illustrations by Patrizio Evangelisti.

[edit] Other studies

Apart from tarot studies, Giordano Berti wrote some historical books about different themes of western spirituality. Below are some of the most important works:

• Hell's Visions. Sins and Tortures in the Art of Middle Age (1991)
• Archangels: History and Legends (1997)
• The Heretics (1997)
• Dictionary of Christian Religion (1997) ([[Italian
• The Other World and Afterlife (1998, in Italian, French, Japanese and Polish)
• Dictionary of Mystics (1999)
• Prayers of all the World (1999)
• Oriental Religions in the Western World (2000)
• Enoch (2000)
• History of Divination (2005)

[edit] External links

• Personal web page (Italian) (English)
• Article about Giordano Berti on Tarotpedia (English)
• Biographical news about Giordano Berti on Trionfi.com (English)
• Article about Giordano Berti on Istituto Graf.org (English)
• Article about Dante Tarot by Giordano Berti, review by Diane Wilkes (English)
• Bibographical notes about Giordano Berti on Mondadori (Italian)
• Books written by Giordano Berti on Il Giardino dei Libri (English)
• Article by Giordano Berti about Dante and Islam (Italian)