Cornicello - Wikipedia Cornicello `` Little horn '' redirects here. For the Tasmanian mountain, see Cradle Mountain. For use in prophecy, see Daniel 7. For the Marilyn Manson song, see Antichrist Superstar. A silver cornicello charm. A cornicello or cornetto, Italian for `` little horn '' or `` hornlet '', sometimes abbreviated to corno, is an Italian amulet or talisman worn to protect against the evil eye ( or malocchio ) and bad luck in general, and, historically, to promote fertility and virility. In Neapolitan, it is called curniciello or variants thereof. The amulet is also sometimes referred to as the Italian horn. Origins and styles Red cornicello In Italy many people wear the cornicello - an amulet of good luck used for protection against the evil eye curse. It consists of a twisted horn - shaped charm often made of gold, silver, plastic, bone, terracotta, or red coral. Originally, cornicelli resembled an animal 's horn, to represent fertility, virility and strength. The shape and colour of the red cornicelli are reminiscent of a chili pepper. A regionally popular amulet, they are used primarily in Italy in the region of Campania, as well as Lazio, Marche, Abruzzo, Calabria, Basilicata, Lombardy, and Friuli - Venezia Giulia and elsewhere among descendants of Italian immigrants. Related Possibly related to the corno is the mano cornuta or `` horned hand. '' This is an Italian hand - gesture ( or an amulet imitative of the gesture ) that can be used to indicate that a man `` wears the horns '' and also to ward off the evil eye. Mano means `` hand '' and corno means `` horn. '' References ^ Jump up to : Maberry, Jonathan and Janice Gable Bashman ( September 2010 ). Wanted Undead Or Alive : Vampire Hunters and Other Kick - Ass Enemies of Evil. New York, NY : Kensington Publishing Corp. pp. 165 -- 166. ISBN 0 - 8065 - 2821 - 4. Jump up ^ `` Perché si crede che il corno porti fortuna ? '' ( in Italian ). 26 June 2002. Jump up ^ Lorena Fiorini ( 2016 ). Newton Compton, ed. Il peperoncino ( in Italian ). ISBN 978 - 88 - 54 - 19010 - 8. Jump up ^ `` Riti, amuleti e portafortuna. Ecco l'Italia scaramantica '' ( in Italian ). La Stampa. 12 November 2012. Amulets and talismans Amulets Agimat Amulet MS 5236 Bulla Cimaruta Cornicello Cross necklace Djucu Dreamcatcher Dzi bead Fascinus Fulu Good luck charm Gorgoneion Gris - gris Hamsa Horse brass Horseshoe I'noGo tied Jackal 's horn Kanai Anzen Lapis alectorius Mojo Mugwort Nazar Omamori Painted pebbles Palad khik Rabbit 's foot Red string ( Kabbalah ) Sachet ( scented bag ) Sampy Ta'wiz Takrut Thokcha Tintinnabulum ( Ancient Rome ) Touch piece Troll cross Talismans Lamen Navaratna Seal of Solomon Swastika Talismans in the Bábí and Bahá'í Faiths Uncial 0152 Related articles Apotropaic magic Curse tablet Evil eye Feng Shui Folk religion Magic and religion Numerology Superstitions Torma Superstition Main topics Amulet Evil eye Luck Omen Talismans Religion Myth and ritual Efficacy of prayer Lists List of superstitions List of lucky symbols List of unlucky symbols Sailors ' superstitions Theatrical superstitions Africa Buda Gris - gris Sampy Sleeping child Americas Ascalapha odorata Carranca Curupira Djucu Fortune cookie I'noGo tied White lighter myth Witch window Asia Superstition in India list Superstition in Pakistan Japanese superstitions Bhoot ( ghost ) Chhaupadi Churel Ghosts in Bengali culture Jackal 's horn Muhurta Navaratna Nazar battu Pichal Peri Puppy pregnancy syndrome Akabeko Kanai Anzen Maneki - neko Okiagari - koboshi Omamori Fan death Agimat Albularyo Barang Kulam Lihi Pagtatawas Pasma Usog Kuman Thong Palad khik Takrut Nang Kwak Curse of 39 Jin Chan Numbers in Chinese culture Russian traditions and superstitions Superstitions of Malaysian Chinese Europe Barbary macaques in Gibraltar Blarney Stone Cimaruta Cornicello Goodman 's Croft In bocca al lupo Kitchen witch Nazar Painted pebbles Rabbit rabbit rabbit Ravens of the Tower of London Spilling water for luck Troll cross Tycho Brahe days Witch post Wolfssegen General 11 : 11 4 ( Four - leaf clover, Tetraphobia ) 7 ( Seventh son of a seventh son ) 8 9 13 ( Friday the 13th, The Thirteen Club, Thirteenth floor, Triskaidekaphobia ) 108 111 666 ( Number of the Beast ) Ace of spades Auspicious wedding date Baseball superstition Bayern - luck Beginner 's luck Black cat Bread and butter Break a leg Chain letter Cooties Cramp - ring Curse Davy Jones ' Locker End - of - the - day betting effect Fear of frogs Fear of ghosts First - foot Flying Dutchman Four Eleven Forty Four Gambler 's conceit Good luck charm Groundhog Day Himmelsbrief Human sacrifice Jinx Klabautermann Knocking on wood Law of contagion Literomancy Lock of hair Maternal impression Miasma theory Mooncalf Need - fire Nelson Night air Oscar love curse Penny Powder of sympathy Rabbit 's foot Rainmaking The Scottish Play Ship sponsor Shoes on a table Sign of the horns Something old Spilling salt Susto Three on a match Threshold Toi toi toi Wishing well Witch ball Witching hour Related Apotropaic magic Astrology and science Coincidence Debunker Divination Folk religion Fortune - telling Magic and religion Magical thinking Numerology Perceptions of religious imagery in natural phenomena Post hoc ergo propter hoc Taboo Traditional medicine Urban legend Young Earth creationism This Italy - related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Cornicello&oldid=803622644 '' Categories : Amulets Superstitions of Italy Italy stubs Hidden categories : CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) All stub articles Talk About Wikipedia Español Italiano Edit links This page was last edited on 3 October 2017, at 17 : 02. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: what is the significance of the italian horn
Answer: an amulet of good luck used for protection against the evil eye curse.