Cornicello on a bed of red chiles ()
Italy’s third-largest city is undeniably a bit tatty around its edges. With its chaotic traffic and untidy streets peopled with rough-looking characters, it’s the kind of place one feels the need to constantly keep one’s guard up. Perhaps in part because of this, one of the most characteristic purchases a visitor to Naples is bound to make is weightier than your average souvenir, at least in a metaphysical sense.
On a walk through the cavern-like historical core of one of Europe’s most ancient cities, shopkeepers and street vendors sell all the magnets, T-shirts and soccer team gear one would expect to see anywhere. Carved wooden figurines, cameo brooches and bottles of limoncello liqueur appear within their mix as slightly more inspired and site-specific choices. But it soon becomes apparent that one item, in particular, is the purchase di rigore, the must-have from any trip to Bella Napoli.
An ancient talisman with enduring power
Bright red, elongated, twisted and conical, the hornlike object known as a cornicello in Italian or curniciello in the local dialect is ubiquitous. This immediately recognizable talisman is used to channel good fortune and repel the curse of the evil eye. Even people who aren’t particularly superstitious have a healthy respect toward its purported efficacy. And it’s been working its magic for a long, long time.
Numerous sources trace the origins of Naples’ trademark amulet as far back as 3500 BC, when hunters would hang the horns of their prey upon their doors to scare and repel enemies and evil forces. Its red color, symbolic of blood, represents life, strength and good fortune. Its similarity to a hot chili pepper is not coincidental. Believed to work as an aphrodisiac, red peppers symbolize fertility, an idea closely intertwined with survival of the species and perpetuation of the family line.
To be effective, the cornicello’s essential attributes are dictated by age-old rules. The horn is optimally hollow inside, which allows it to be filled with salt, said to increase its powers. It should be crafted by hand, allowing its maker to pass on strength and positive influences to its new owner. A particularly auspicious material from which it can be made is coral, a revered substance believed to endow energy and confidence, as well as offer protection to pregnant women.
The amulet may be worn as a pendant around one’s neck, carried in the form of a keychain, hung from a vehicle’s rear-view mirror or placed above the entrance to a home or business. No harm is associated with harnessing the power of several horns within a number of different settings.
The most important rule in connection with the cornicello is that it can only be purchased for another, as buying a horn for oneself negates all of its mystical, protective powers. When presenting the gift to its intended, a certain ritual should be followed. The recipient is asked to open the palm of his left hand, which should be pricked with the tip of the horn.
If ever the tip of the horn should break off, one should not panic. The breakage indicates the horn has performed its intended task, accumulating negative energy within its tip until it could hold no more.
Reason enough, perhaps, to inspire the recipient of this sacred gift to embark upon a trip to Naples to buy more horns for all those he or she holds dear.
Where to buy the Naples horn
There’s no need to search far and wide for the most simplistic examples of the Naples horn. Casual souvenir shoppers will likely make their purchases in and around Via San Gregorio Armeno, a bustling shopping street known for the sale of hand-carved nativity sets. Cosmos-Artigianato Napoletano, located at number 5 on this famous street, has garnered rave reviews on both Google and TripAdvisor. Many other handicraft and jewelry stores throughout the city sell hand-crafted versions of the curniciello, many of which come with certificates of authenticity and instruction manuals.
