Worn on necklaces, bracelets, watches, or pinned to a baby’s clothes, to ward off evil and bring good luck. I partly wear this amulet as a Southern Italian identity marker and, of course, to avert envy, hate, and other evil. The cornetto’s heartland is Naples. I was born in Terracina, halfway between Naples and Rome, and the cornetto—whether made of coral, red plastic (resembling a chili pepper—crowned & uncrowned), or gold—is still widely used.