La ruota della fortuna
Italian version of Wheel of Fortune.
La ruota della fortuna is the Italian version of Wheel of Fortune. Fifteen years later, it returned to the air on Canale 5 from 6 May 2024, hosted by Gerry Scotti and Samira Lui.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Game show
- Based on
- Wheel of Fortune
- Judges
- Illy Reale (1989–1993)
- Alvise Borghi (1993–1997)
- Davide Tortorella (1997–2003)
- Theme music
- Enrico Santulli (1989–1995)
- Luca Orioli (1995–2003)
- Merv Griffin, John Hoke, Bleeding Fingers Music (2024–present)
- Opening theme
- "Gira la ruota" (1995–2009); "Changing Keys" (2021 version, 2024–present)
- Country
- Italy
- Language
- Italian
- Seasons
- 22
Facts from the source article.
Differences in gameplay compared to the American version
The Italian version was the only puzzle board worldwide where, if more than one letter was revealed, the hostess needed to touch only one letter and all would appear simultaneously. Earlier boards used trilons, like many other versions. The modern Italian board, however, required the hostess to touch each letter individually, lighting them one at a time, similar to the American version. In 2002, the vowel purchase price changed from Lit. 1,000,000 to €300; on the 2007 revival, each vowel cost €200.
During the Pentatlon era, the wheel had 15 wedges with amounts from Lit. 100,000 to Lit. 1,000,000. The Odeon version increased to 24 wedges, ranging from Lit. 50,000 to Lit. 1,000,000, with round 3 amounts from Lit. 100,000 to Lit. 3,000,000. In 1989, the top amounts for the first three rounds were Lit. 1,000,000, Lit. 1,300,000, and Lit. 2,000,000; the following year, the smallest amount rose from Lit. 200,000 to Lit. 300,000, and Lit. 1,000,000 became the top for the first two rounds.
After euro adoption in 2002, amounts ranged from €150 to €500 (€200 to €1,000 in round 3). From 1999 to 2001, a blue band on the wheel showed euro equivalents; by 2002 the band was removed and values changed to €50–€300 (€100–€600 in round 3). Values were displayed in thousands of liras from 1989 to 2002. The most recent version includes a €0 wedge and the "Cave" feature from the French version. The Lose a Turn wedge is called "Passa" and the Bankrupt wedge is "Perde" or "Bancarotta".
Parole d'oro (Golden Words)
Parole d'oro (Golden Words) aired from 1987 to 1988 on Sunday evenings, ending due to low ratings. It was a knockoff of La ruota della fortuna with notable differences. The wheel used letters of the Italian alphabet (excluding J, K, W, X, and Y except on loanwords) plus one Bankrupt and one Wild space, rather than money. Players landing on a letter could take it for Lit. 500,000 per appearance or pass; a wrong letter cost Lit. 500,000, allowing negative scores.
Some letters were gold, worth Lit. 1,000,000 per appearance. Landing on Wild let the player choose a letter. When a puzzle was solved, all players kept their displayed winnings, and the solver received an additional Lit. 5,000,000. Players could use a Joker if the wheel landed on an already-called letter, earning or costing Lit. 500,000.
The Bonus Round let the player choose five letters from a bag; solving doubled their winnings, with 60 seconds to solve.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes of La ruota della fortuna are there?
La ruota della fortuna has 3757 episodes across 22 seasons.
When did La ruota della fortuna first air?
La ruota della fortuna first aired on 19 October 1987.
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