L'Italo-Americano

www.italoamericano.org 10 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 15, 2020 L'Italo-Americano LIFE PEOPLE PLACES HERITAGE Y ou are certainly familiar with it, the curnicel- lo, or cornet- t o , t h a t r e d chili pepper Neapolitans u s e t o a t t r a c t g o o d l u c k and be protected by evil forces, or malocchio, as they call it. Found often on market stalls, it has beco- me a symbol of fortune a b i t e v e r y w h e r e i n I t a l y , even if, of course, its Nea- p o l i t a n r o o t s r e m a i n strong. To be fair to the little c u r n i c e l l o , k e e p i n g o n e around to feign evil is a very ancient tradition, and one that deserves respect. References to it in the area a r o u n d N a p l e s c a n b e f o u n d a s f a r b a c k a s Roman times, with many a s s o c i a t i n g t h e p h a l l i c symbols so popular on the w a l l s o f P o m p e i i a n d H e r c u l a n e u m —them- selves considered propitia- tory — as the ancestors of today cornets. B u t i t w a s n ' t o n l y t h e R o m a n s w h o t h o u g h t horn-like objects were pro- t e c t i v e a n d s y m b o l s o f prosperity: we know that the Jewish people of the M i d d l e E a s t , t h e Sumerians, the Indus, the Chinese and even Siberian shamans all found a con- nection between good luck a n d s u c h s h a p e s . T h e Greeks used to associated the cornucopia, a large horn filled with the pro- d u c e o f t h e e a r t h , w i t h abundance and fertility. It was Zeus who had broken a goat horn and filled it with fruit and flowers as a gift to his custodian. But if we really want to be precise and historically correct, we should go back even further to prehistori- c a l t i m e s , w h e n p e o p l e would hang animal horns a t t h e e n t r a n c e o f t h e i r cave to symbolize fertility and to protect the house- hold. And what about the c o u r a g e o u s w a r r i o r s o f past eras, who would adorn their helmets with large h o r n s t o m i r r o r t h e i r prowess, their leaderships a n d t h e i r i n v i n c i b i l i t y ? Little by little, horns start- ed to be associated not only with fertility and strength, but also with financial for- tune and with the power of protecting a family from negativity. An important talisman for many a culture, but cer- t a i n l y a n i c o n o f N e a p o l i t a n t r a d i t i o n , where it also became an o b j e c t t y p i c a l o f l o c a l c r a f t s m a n s h i p a n d a r t . W h i l e o u r c u r n i c e l l o enjoyed popularity in the area since the dawn of civi- l i z a t i o n , i t w a s i n t h e Middle Ages, when gold- smiths and jewelers spe- cialized in its production and sale, that it turned into a h o u s e h o l d o b j e c t : i t became so popular to turn into a bona fide icon of local craftsmanship. Since then, our cornetto became ubiquitous, espe- cially around Naples and among Neapolitans around the world: some carry one in their pocket at all times, others exhibit one on the w a l l s o f t h e i r h o m e s o r s t o r e s . B u s i n e s s m e n o r merchants may rub it with their hand before making a deal, as a good omen and t o a t t r a c t m o n e y . A n d because we are in Naples, we can't forget the connec- tion between cornetto and lotto, a game that Matilde Serrao, author and journal- ist, co-founder of Naples' daily Il Mattino, called "Naples' incurable illness." When you play your num- b e r s , h a v i n g a c o r n e t t o nearby is essential. When talking about cor- netti, more precisely, about N e a p o l i t a n c o r n e t t i , w e s h o u l d r e m e m b e r t h e y are not all the same at all. For a start, they can't be of each and every color of the rainbow, they must b e r e d , t h e h u e o f l u c k , power, victory and blood, synonym of life. Red was also associated, in antiqui- ty, with the god Priaphus, symbol of fertility and male strength. Moreover, cornetti must be handmade, so that they can absorb positive energy from their maker; in the past, those made in coral were considered particu- larly effective and precious, because of the propitiatory characteristic of this beau- tiful material, known to be an antidote to negativity a n d t o p r o t e c t p r e g n a n t women. In fact, the use of coral itself as a propitiatory material can be traced back to the Ancient Greeks, who c o n s i d e r e d i t s a c r e d t o Venus, goddess of beauty, love, fertility and prosperi- ty. Even its shape need to be precise: as Neapolitans say, a good cornetto needs to be tuosto, stuorto e cu 'a p o n t a , t h a t i s , h a r d , crooked and pointy. But most important of all, the cornetto must be a present. Yes, buying one for your- self doesn't work, someone has to get it and offer it for you, otherwise it'd be use- less. A n d w h e r e s h o u l d w e head if we want to buy a real cornetto Napoletano? Well, local craftsmen in Naples are your safest bet, especially those located in the San Gregorio Armeno a r e a , i n t e r n a t i o n a l l y k n o w n f o r i t s p r e s e p i . H e r e , t a l e n t e d a r t i s a n s make beautiful cornetti, often adorned with crowns and other luck-inducing symbols, including the so called scartellato, Naples' o w n h u n c h e d m a n , w h o brings luck because said to have been touched by God. In many a ways, cornet- to is more than a symbol of Naples, it's a symbol of its history and of its peo- p l e ' s a b i l i t y t o m e r g e together the holy and the sacred, culture and lore, past and present, always perfectly, always seamless- l y . B u t t h e r e a r e o t h e r regions of Italy where cor- n e t t o i s p o p u l a r : L a z i o , A b r u z z o , C a l a b r i a , Basilicata, Marche and, in t h e N o r t h , a l s o i n L o m b a r d i a a n d F r i u l i Venezia Giulia. GIULIA FRANCESCHINI Red cornetti: the quintessentially Neapolitan symbol of good luck (Photo: Fedecandoniphoto/Dreamstime) Naples, luck and the iconic cornetto

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