scarlatta

Scarlatta is the feminine form of the Italian adjective scarlatto, meaning scarlet, a bright red color with orange undertones. It is used to describe objects, fabrics, or garments that display this hue, for example una camicia scarlatta or una sciarpa scarlatta. The masculine form is scarlatto, and the feminine plural is scarlatte; the masculine plural is scarlatti. In everyday Italian, scarlatta serves as a standard descriptive color term in fashion, design, and art.

In literature and media, scarlatta appears in titles and phrases. The most famous usage is La lettera scarlatta, the Italian title of Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter, where the scarlet letter A symbolically marks sin and social judgment. Beyond this, scarlatta often appears in descriptive writing when emphasizing vivid, intense color or dramatic symbolism.

In historical contexts, scarlet hues have been associated with power, ceremony, and religious symbolism in various cultures, which can influence Italian usage of scarlatta in poetic or rhetorical writing.