Overview

• Margherita Ciarletta is the last resident who wears the village’s centuries-old everyday attire daily.
• Visitors seek her out for photos and selfies, and she has rebuffed intrusive media and once chased day-trippers from her doorway.
• Scanno officials say they are lobbying for UNESCO intangible cultural heritage recognition of the traditional costumes.
• The village’s population has fallen from more than 4,000 in the 1920s to about 1,600 today, eroding everyday practitioners of local traditions.
• Ciarletta has worn the dark wool gown and headband since she was 18, has lived in the same stone house since 1950, and largely manages her routines independently.