The One Unexpected Hand Gesture You Should Never Make When Visiting Italy

If you're heading to Italy, you may be learning some essential Italian words and phrases to help you get by while on vacation. It can be really helpful when ordering at a restaurant, asking for directions, and meeting some locals. Of course, there are some unspoken etiquette rules to learn beforehand, too. In addition to knowing what words to say in certain situations, you should also know about hand gestures, which are a huge part of speaking and communicating in Italian. Some of these you may be familiar with, like doing the chef's kiss to indicate strong approval of something or slightly pulling down your bottom eyelid to signify caution. 

However, there is one hand gesture that you should never make while visiting Italy, and that's a certain version of le corna, "the horns." With this gesture, the direction of your hands makes a big difference in how this is perceived. Le corna entails holding out your pinkie and index fingers (the horns), while curling the other fingers into a fist. It's a more acceptable gesture when your horns are pointing down toward the ground, which means you're trying to ward off the evil eye or responding to someone saying something negative to you. But if your horns are pointing up, it's a whole different story.

In America, you may know the fingers-up version as the "rock on" gesture. But in Italy, it means that someone's spouse or partner has cheated on them. It refers to the traditional symbol of a cuckold, which meant you had horns on your head. It may also derive from the Greek myth of King Minos and Queen Pasiphae, who cheated on her husband with a bull (yes, the animal — Greek myths are wild) and gave birth to the Minotaur. The upward version of le corna is likely to be seen in heated situations when driving, similar to someone giving the middle finger to another driver in the U.S. 

Italian hand gestures can be confusing if you're not used to them. If you're new to the whole thing, it's best to continue to simply speak with words or use a translation app to get your point across. That said, there are a few that you should know before you go. If you position your hand with all the fingertips together, making the shape of a small purse, that means, "What the hell do you mean?" or "What do you want?" If someone swings their chin upward and makes a sort of negative noise, that means no. If someone holds their hand horizontally with the fingers straight, bites the hand, and then swishes it out like an ax, this means you're in trouble. You may see parents making this gesture toward their kids when they're misbehaving. Finally, if you want to explore a fun way to communicate with the locals in Italy, the evening promenade (la passeggiata) is a great way to do so.