UPDATING (December 2022) – The location has definitely been closed.
There’s much more than one of the most well-stocked board games stores behind the windows of La Chouette, an exclusive boutique set in the uber-central via del Bollo, just a stone’s throw from the renowned Piazza Duomo. It is a true temple of bridge, but not only, which was born from a passion that can withstand the test of time and of trends, able to resist the transition from games as a means of socialisation to the times of the famous happy-hour.
This according to Benito Leonardi’s words, the mind behind the store and its owner for a long time, who has been instilling the interest for bridge, a game historically routed in the tradition of European aristocracy and bourgeoisie, to Milanese and foreigners since 1980, together with Bruno Sacerdotti Cohen. La Chouette was born right in 1980, turning ever since into a business that has asserted itself as a reference spot, not only for bridge lovers, but also for those keen on the most traditional board games, as well as the most fashionable ones like buraco, poker or backgammon. This exclusive boutique can now boast over 30 years of success in fulfilling the needs of both amateurs and of professional players, always in search of the best products. Only true games enthusiasts can understand the value and the rareness of such a wide variety of products featuring uber-fascinating gaming tables, enriched by their characteristic green carpets, as well as precious bidding boxes as best sellers, essential both for amateur and top-level player’s tournaments. The whole set in via del Bollo, within what used to be the heart of the ancient Milan, the capital of the Roman Empire and then of the Nineteenth century’s ‘Cinque Vie’, in a cosy atmosphere infused with a touch of vintage appeal.
Here enthusiastic players and curious can find chess, tarot cards, official paperwork and specific furniture for matches. But above all, and here the variety will leave everyone astonished, the widest collection of rulebooks and of historic books on bridge in the whole Italy, imported by Benito Leonardi in person starting from the Eighties up to nowadays, straight from France, United Kingdom and even from the United States. A choice that proved to be truly successful. Are you in search of a real gem easy to purchase both online and in the boutique? The hand-customised buraco cards, obviously on a limited edition, are a deal reserved to real connoisseurs. The most passionate games lovers and those who affectionately don’t want to dismiss a passion with the power of evoking atmospheres from the past, or maybe worth being re-discovered, will appreciate La Chouette for sure!
