Without speaking a word of Italian, you can travel in Italy. You are ready to conquer Il Bel Paese armed with just an outgoing personality, a genuine smile, and Italian hand signals. Or, are you?

Still, before you go, you are better off studying Italian. But utilize these Italian hand signals to help you.

Un momento!

This translates to, “one moment, please” in English. Just point your index finger upwards like the number 1. This can also convey “may I speak, please?”, but it’ll be needed to learn to speak italian then.

Ho fame

This is a plea to your hosts to feed you, translated as “I’m hungry.” You must hit your stomach with the side of your flat hand, which ought to convey a clear message. Still you will require some Italian food words to understand Italian food; otherwise, you will find yourself sick of pasta and pizza. You’ll understand the difference between pollo and polipo if you learn italian. Who knows what allergies these foods might give you?

Ehi tu, vieni qui

This is one hand signal you will do well to use with care. It translates to “Hey! Come here, you!”, which can seem either rude or sexually inviting. It’s made by a come hither signal also applied by numerous Americans. When you want someone to come and help you, you are better off learning to say “Prego, potete aiutarli?”

Silenzio

This translates to “silence”, and uses the universal signal of silence by pressing your index finger to your lips. If you have to emphasize why you want silence, however, you’ll have to study Italian.

Idea!

You would have effectively conveyed that you have an idea when you look happy with your hand on your head. When you tell them about this idea, however, studying Italian will be useful.

Perfetto

This looks like the American gesture for “okay” – the thumb and index fingers forming a circle. This is used to praise someone – very handy if you can’t speak italian.

Scusi, devo andare al bagno

This is a very important gesture that means “I have to go to the rest room.” Simply hold up your index and middle fingers, put on a pained expression, and you’ll be pointed to the closest bathroom. Very useful indeed for the diarrhea-prone traveler!

It is said that Italian hand gestures are poetry in motion. Still, you have to study Italian to read street signs, billboards, and books. Why not get the best of both worlds, then?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sBUOVjd0kHI

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This entry was posted on Thursday, November 27th, 2008 at 5:08 pm and is filed under Food and Drink. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.