From places to artifact: silk shawls and scarves from the Sorrento peninsula

Among the components of Made in Italy are high-quality materials, attention to detail, a strong sense of aesthetics, and the continuity of traditions. These values are deeply rooted in Italy's geographically varied and widespread production, making each local manufacture an indicator of a solid connection with the history of its place, shaped by environmental, cultural, and artistic characteristics. In Campania, this intense intertwining of places and products related to the world of fashion and popular costume can be seen in the manufacture of silk artifacts, which, until the mid-twentieth century, were a staple in the productive and commercial offerings of sites on the Sorrento peninsula. This essay, through the analysis of historical textual and iconographic sources, sheds light on how the production of shawls and scarves—regularly used in nineteenth-century women's clothing as well as in popular costume—was structured and maintained, even achieving permanence in festival rituals where the tarantella dance included movements and gestures marked by the use of this accessory. Originally ordinary objects, these artifacts have been transformed into souvenirs connected with the tourism industry, achieving widespread use in commercial hubs and, later, becoming part of the heritages of public and private entities. Knowledge of their cultural and formal components is of interest, therefore, for the purpose of their desirable cataloguing and preservation.