By Bob Brady, 26-time traveler from Braintree, MA
As a frequent O.A.T. traveler, I’ve learned to query the Trip Experience Leader early on as to the do’s and don’t's of hand gestures commonly used in the U.S. What’s proper here can be unintentionally offensive there.
Growing up in a household that included my maternal grandfather who'd emigrated from Italy as a youth, I was exposed at a very young age to the fact that Italians often "spoke with their hands." He and his paisano friends would supplement their vigorous oral conversations with animated body language unique to their old-world culture. I also learned quickly from my mother that some of their observed behaviors were "adult" in nature and were not to be imitated by his grandchildren.
A restaurant owner acts out a gesture from the book.
Wishing to walk in the footsteps of my maternal grandfather and learn more of my heritage, I signed on to a number of OAT trips to Italy. Before my very first trip to Italy, a family member gifted me with a small book, Italian Without Words, partly as a communication aid and partly to avoid an unintentional faux pas. Many of the sections of the publication included captioned photographs that provided helpful insights into the common nonverbal language of the country. However, the book also contained examples that could potentially get one into some serious trouble.
On one occasion, I had the book out in a restaurant when the owner came by to greet our group. He spotted the book and proceeded to view the sign language examples in it page by page. He’d point out where he believed that the author was incorrect and would also act out the gestures that he agreed with. This continued through to the publication’s "red zone." When he started to perform some of those hand signals, the trip leader intervened to change the subject. Later, she conducted a crash course on "Italian without words" during one of our van rides to an itinerary stop. At another restaurant, we surprised the owner with a "finger to the cheek" action the leader had taught us to indicate, without speaking a word, that the meal was È delizioso! (It’s delicious!).
Bob’s Trip Experience Leader conducting a crash course on "Italian Without words."
Based on my travel experiences, many other countries have similar methods of silent communication. Knowing in advance that such things as the sign for "OK" in America may not be "OK" in another part of the world avoids potential pitfalls and facilitates acclimating to "unwritten" local cultural norms.
Enjoy cuisine so delicious that you, too, will put your finger to the cheek during our Sicily’s Ancient Landscapes & Timeless Traditions adventure.
