In the first two parts of this series the focus was on the origins of Italian gesture language and the ten gestures that shape everyday life. Today the subject is the other side of the coin. Some movements that appear harmless or even amusing carry quite a different meaning in Italy from what visitors might expect. Those who use them without thinking risk genuine misunderstandings, and sometimes outright trouble. It has been possible to observe at first hand how quickly a well-intentioned movement can be misconstrued, and that is precisely why it is worth taking a closer look at this grey area.
When politeness becomes an insult
The most dangerous gestures are not the obviously vulgar ones, but those that are harmless or even positively received in one's own culture yet mean the opposite in Italy. A good example is the thumbs-up sign, which in much of the world simply means "all good". In parts of southern Italy, particularly among older generations, the same hand position was once understood as a crude sexual allusion, a legacy from a time when an upward-pointing fist with the thumb raised carried a phallic meaning. Today, that older interpretation has been largely pushed into the background by international tourism and social media, but it has not disappeared entirely, especially among older people in rural areas. For those who are unsure, it is better in Italy to reach for a simple Va bene or a smile rather than a raised thumb.
The Corna in the wrong context
Already in the second part of this series the Corna was mentioned, that gesture made with the index finger and little finger extended. Its dual meaning makes it one of the most treacherous gestures of all. Pointed downwards, it wards off misfortune; directed straight at a person, it implies that they have been cheated on by a partner. Things become particularly awkward when tourists, familiar with the gesture from rock concerts or as what they assume to be a peace sign, casually raise their hand with the palm facing forward towards a group of Italians, perhaps for a photograph. What is intended as a fun pose can come across as a direct insult to older or more traditional-minded people. The simple rule is never to direct this gesture at a person in Italy, regardless of how light-hearted the intention.
The Ombrello: not a grey area, but a clear boundary
Unlike the examples discussed so far, the so-called Ombrello, the sharp upward swing of the bent forearm, leaves absolutely no room for interpretation. This gesture is unambiguously vulgar throughout Italy and is understood exclusively as a deliberate, aggressive insult, comparable to the internationally recognised raised middle finger. Tourists are sometimes seen imitating this movement out of ignorance, having spotted it in a film and assumed it to be a quaint Italian mannerism. The result is almost always the same: bewildered shock or open indignation from those nearby. This gesture is one of the few for which there is genuinely no safe use. It should, without question, never be imitated, whether in earnest or in jest.
Excessive closeness as an unintentional gesture
Not every misunderstanding arises from a deliberate hand movement. Sometimes all it takes is the way one moves during a conversation, or the amount of distance one keeps from the other person. Italians, particularly in the south, tend to stand considerably closer together during conversation than is customary in, say, Germany or Scandinavia, and they accompany their words with more expansive arm movements. When a northern European instinctively takes a step back to restore a familiar distance, their counterpart often perceives this, quite unconsciously, as coolness or lack of interest, whereas the Italian had no sense of overstepping any boundary. This misunderstanding is more subtle than a single mistaken gesture, yet it frequently shapes the first impression in a conversation more than either party realises.
The gesture that is not actually an insult
Not every striking hand movement that unsettles visitors is in fact negatively intended, and this confusion too leads to misunderstandings, only in the opposite direction. When two Italians are talking loudly, pointing their outstretched fingers almost into each other's faces or slicing the air energetically with a flat hand, it often looks to onlookers like the beginning of a serious altercation. In the vast majority of cases, however, it is simply a particularly passionate conversation, about football, politics or the evening meal. Anyone tempted to intervene out of concern, suspecting a quarrel, will generally produce nothing more than puzzled looks on both sides.
How visitors can behave most safely
The simplest rule that has proved its worth is to observe unfamiliar gestures during the first few months rather than attempting to use them. If a movement cannot be placed with complete confidence, it is better to fall back on words or to dispense with gestures altogether rather than to guess. Italians themselves tend to respond to uncertain or incorrectly used gestures from foreigners with patience and understanding, as long as good intentions are clearly evident. This is quite different from the unmistakably vulgar signs, where ignorance is rarely accepted as an excuse. In the next part of this series, the perspective shifts once more to examine those gestures that even many Italians from the north do not know, because they belong exclusively to Naples and Campania.
