Italian gestures: a little guide

Many things have been said about italian gestures. As a non-italian you should at least understand the basics of italian hand gestures when in Italy.

There’s a funny little book I suggest you to buy before your trip to Italy: Speak Italian : The Fine Art of the Gesture by Bruno Munari.

In not more than 150 pages (with lot of figures) you’ll have a complete overview of the most common italian gestures used in our country…

Are hand gestures still common in Italy?

Hand gestures are not common today as they were in the past, but for sure they’re more common in the center and in the south of Italy. Sometimes you can tell a lot by using a couple of gestures.

Italians are famous in the world for their gestures and many of us if they don’t speak english try to use gestures as an “universal” language, so don’t worry if at first we’re looking nervous or upsets because we’re shaking our hands so much. It’s probably because we try to communicate with you.

As a recap, the following section introduces you to some common and useful gestures used regularly in Italian conversation.

5 examples of italian hand gestures

• Finger purse (means: “what do you mean?”) Keep fingers together, with tips touching and pointing upward. Hand can move up and down at the wrist or be held.
• Prayer (stands for: “please!”) Put your palms like you’re praying and move them close to your chest.
• Cheek screw (when you want to say that something is delicious!) Put one index finger on the cheek and rotate it a bit.
• Circle in the air (see you later!) Use the right index finger and point it to your left to draw a small circle in the air.
• Finger tapping on your clock (you’re late!) useful when traveling by train in Italy.