Food, music and culture have actually made the Italian southern city of Naples well-known around the world. However there’s another Neapolitan custom that interests residents and visitors alike: the cornicello, a renowned sign of success, love and fortune that has actually ended up being a popular present amongst enthusiasts on Valentine’s Day.
The Neapolitan cornicello, a little horn-shaped amulet, represents best of luck and defense versus the wicked eye, and is connected with fertility and strength, while its red, extreme color is thought about an effective remedy versus unfavorable energies.
Similar to any self-respecting superstitious notion, the power of the Neapolitan horn, to be efficient, should diligently follow some guidelines. The most crucial one is that it should be a present, which is why, for many years, it has actually ended up being a popular present that enthusiasts exchange on Valentine’s Day, frequently embellished with little hearts.
Its ancient origins go back to Greek and Roman folklore, as it replicates the phallic shape and red color in a recommendation to Priapus, the god of male fertility.
Neapolitan craftsmens diligently handcraft cornicelli in red coral, terracotta and even silver or gold. However a crucial element of the custom is that cornicello should be permeable, allowing it to soak up all the unfavorable energies, securing buddies and enjoyed ones.
“The genuine cornicello needs to be handcrafted in Naples,” states Delia D’Alessandro, 30, creator of Universe, a small workshop producing the fortunate appeals in the heart of San Gregorio Armeno– Naples’ narrow lane understood for its “pastori,” or nativity-scene figurines.
D’Alessandro and her sis Serena continue the craft gained from their moms and dads– Vicenzo and Rosaria– and now run the household company in the city’s historic center.
“It’s a gorgeous method to continue the household custom and add to the city we like,” Serena stated, as she paints terracotta horns crafted by a group of young craftsmens.
Deeply entrenched in Naples’ cultural roots, the red horn ends up being an effective sign in the productions of Neapolitan carver and painter Lello Esposito.
Esposito, 67, began his long global profession from the popular streets of Naples as a young artist, offering his handmade puppets of Pulcinella, the well-known character of Neapolitan commedia dell’arte.
“This is the initial horn that has actually influenced the ones in the bottegas around the city,” he stated, gesturing towards a huge red-horn sculpture that controls his atelier at Scuderie Sansevero, a magnificent palace in Naples’ historical center.
“It’s red since that’s the color of enthusiasm,” stated Esposito, who has actually focused his research study on the relation in between modern art and popular custom.
“If we think of Pompeii, we consider Pompeiian phalluses. These penises were shown in the little search the city. So, the horn is an ancient sign returning over 2,000 years,” he includes.
Esposito’s productions, influenced by Naples’ renowned signs, have actually taken a trip the world, with among his huge horns displayed just recently at the Bangkok Art Biennale.