Sciò Sciò

ciò Sciò is an ancient Neapolitan figure urging good luck, a character from the 18th century who also inspired the famous statuette created by the master craftsmen who populate San Gregorio Armeno with their workshops. A clumsy and comical figure, usually dressed in black, but always covered in a multitude of amulets. This is his distinguishing feature: lucky horns—strictly red and crooked—plenty of garlic, and a black top hat on his head. Among the symbols he wears are the inevitable red horn, a horseshoe, several garlic cloves, and scissors which, as he explains, "are used to cut out gossips."