Italian Hand Gestures, Explained [Video]

As one of New York’s last bastions of Italian-American culture, Bensonhurst is home to many little cafes where aging Italian-speaking men like to congregate and watch soccer.

But venturing into, say, Caffe Italia on 18th Avenue to order a cappuccino can be a daunting experience. Even if you can say a few words in the romance language, communicating with native Italian speakers is pointless if you don’t understand the dramatic hand gestures, which are sometimes counterintuitive.

For example, tapping one’s head in American English can imply having a good idea, while in Italian the same motion means “Are you crazy?”

The video above, created by tour guide Nada Vergili, offers a short tutorial to Italian hand motions — or “the other half of the Italian language.” We hope it will help you decipher your Sicilian grandmother’s idiosyncrasies, or order a drink at that old man cafe on the corner.

Nada’s second video introduces a few essential Italian greetings to get you by.

Enjoy, and let us know how your new Italian sign language works out for you!