Presentosa the traditional jewel of our Abruzzo

"Presentosa il gioiello tradizionale del nostro Abruzzo"

Presentosa is a traditional precious star pendant with one or two hearts in the middle and is a typical filigree jewel of eighteenth-century origin.

Origins

Dates back to the eighteenth century, where it had an emblematic meaning. The bride-to-be wore it, showing the community her status as a committed woman. The word "presentosa" comes from the dialect word "presentènze," which means "betrothed woman."Presentosa also means pretentious.

These medallions were originally part of the dowry of Abruzzo women, but they became renowned after Gabriele D'Annunzio described them in his 1894 tragedy "The Triumph of Death." This is D'Annunzio's descriptive passage that made her famous” She wore two heavy gold hoops in his ears and the ‘Presentosa’ on her chest: a large filigree star with two hearts in the middle”

The author of La Presentosa is the anthropologist Adriana Gandolfi 

Discovering the collection in my so-called home town Pescara, Abruzzo.