In the Middle Ages, Noli was a flourishing city under the benevolent 'protection' of the powerful republic of Genoa. This sun-drenched fishing community has a rich history of independence, trade and competition.

To determine the fishing rights for the next fishing season, the gozzi (typical Ligurian fishing boats) of the four districts of Burgu, Ciassa, Màina and Portellu hold a regatta every September along a 1,600-meter path.

Not content with this sole form of competition, the merchant families of each district competed with each other to build tall towers of red brick as a display of their wealth.

Their successful buildings give the town of Noli its distinctive appearance, although no merchant tower can match the proud castle atop Monte Ursino, whose constant vigilance and defensive walls protect Noli from the raids of the Saracens and the attacks of jealous neighboring towns!

Each game follows a series of rounds, in which players secretly bid on four actions using coins. The player who bids the highest on each action receives a bonus or comes one step closer to victory by building a floor of their tower.

Between each bidding session, players roll dice to simulate the famous Regata-dei-Reoni. The winner of the race gets to fish in the best spots and draws from the best pile of fishing cards, while other players have to draw from worse piles with fewer fish. These cards can also have events such as "Saracens attack!" and “thunder!” that shake up the game and set players back.

If a player manages to build 6 tower floors, or has the most tower floors at the end of the game, he wins!