BY DELBRENNA | MARCH 11TH, 2021

WHAT IS THE MEANING OF THE ITALIAN HORN?

An Italian horn is a twisted chili-pepper-shaped amulet widely popular across Italy. It is also common outside of Italy among Italians and generations of Italian descendants. When traveling to Naples, you will find red horn-shaped talisman charms called “cornicelli” hanging everywhere in the streets. It is typical to see an Italian horn necklace being worn by very handsome, very superstitious Italian men and of course by all the beautiful women too! Sometimes, it will be a gold Italian horn, and sometimes you can see it in red coral or silver. But what does the Italian horn mean? Being an Italian jewelry brand, we had to have an Italian horn charm in our collection, and here it is! As always, with a unique DelBrenna twist in the design!

italian horn meaning

Like most people across the world, we Italians have several superstitious beliefs. Among these, wearing or owning different charms to protect our loved ones and ourselves—warding off bad luck and bringing good fortune. The most popular charm for this, especially in the south of Italy, is the iconic Italian horn.
The Italian horn serves as a protection against "Malocchio," as we call it in Italian. "Malocchio" means the evil eye. This is a sort of curse that envious people could potentially silently wish on you. It is not rare to see Italians immediately making a horn sign with their hand to ward off the Malocchio when someone pays a compliment or wishes you something wonderful. Most commonly, the Italian horn is a symbol of good luck.

The Italian horn is believed to protect the person who wears it. The Italian horn is known locally as "cornicello" (meaning little horn, or hornlet), "cornetto," or simply "corno." Often the horn is worn on a necklace, but it is also common to see it hanging inside a car for protection.

The history of the italian horn

The Italian horn history dates back to ancient times in Italy.
According to some historians, the amulet represents a pagan Moon Goddess. This is why initially, the horn had the shape of the crescent moon.
Then, with time, the shape of the amulet was associated with a bull's horn, and, if worn as a charm, it was believed to protect the wearer from evil and danger.
Artisans of Old Naples began to craft a little horn with an odd shape; "tuosto, stuorto e cu a' punta" which means, tough and twisted at the tip. Those who acquired such an amulet would be blessed with good luck.

DELBRENNA's ITALIAN HORN CHARM

Our Italian horn charm has a unique twist design, which you can find in other DelBrenna designs. It comes as a charm, and it has a clip bail that can be attached to any of our chains. Show off your Italian horn necklace by simply matching our Italian horn charm with a DelBrenna chain in A or B length.
Our Italian horns are all made in silver 925 with different luxurious finishes.