The Common Italian Hand Gesture You Need To Avoid Using In Spain, Per Rick Steves

While both Italian and Spanish may be Romance languages (which is any language with Latin roots), speaking one certainly doesn't guarantee understanding of the other. And, this is especially true when taking into account the nuances of body language. Travel expert Rick Steves has decades of experience discovering the intricacies of European cultures and languages. Even he has periodically reminded us how varied the interpretations of various gesticulations can be. This is why it's important to be aware of some popular European hand gestures before your trip, according to Steves. However, one gesture stands out as prime grounds for a serious miscommunication and could even lead to a fight.

In Italy, pressing your index finger into your cheek and making a corkscrew motion is harmless. It's actually referred to as the buono gesture and is often used to communicate that something is good, great, or delicious. Unfortunately for our body language-loving Italians, this gesture means something entirely different and highly offensive in Southern Spain. As problematic as it sounds, it's considered an insult used to emasculate a man by communicating that his actions, mannerisms, style of dress, or personality are effeminate. 

In Italy, you'll most likely see children performing the buono gesture while eating. Grandparents, particularly grandmothers, often teach the movement to encourage children to eat without stopping them from chewing. It's as if to say, "The meal is good, right?" and the child responds with a corkscrew twist as if saying, "Yes, very good." Adults can use the buono gesture too. For example, if you're eating a meal at a friend's house or a casual restaurant, throw in a corkscrew twist to show your appreciation. However, we don't recommend using the buono gesture at upscale eateries since it's a casual form of non-verbal communication.

Although we can't trace the buono gesture to a specific origin point, it's likely the same as other Italian gesticulations. While some linguists argue Italian hand gestures are a byproduct of the country's history of regionalism and invasion, others believe gesticulation started with ancient Roman public speaking. Still more academics argue that hand gestures evolved as a way to help Italian speakers express themselves and differentiate between words with the same spellings but different meanings. The origins of the corkscrew gesture in Southern Spain are equally murky, and it's unclear if the negative connotation is true across the entire country. That being said, we'd steer clear of the buono gesture in Spain just to be safe.

There are also plenty of gestures or other things tourists should never do in Italy as well. Much like the rest of the world, a chin-flick is considered rude. Or perhaps you want to avoid certain mistakes tourists make in China, like playing with your chopsticks or placing them straight up in your bowl. Frankly, there are a lot of location-specific taboos out there, so we'd argue that researching offensive body language is a must before traveling to any country. 

For example, in the Philippines, summoning someone with the "come here" gesture is incredibly offensive. Locals use this motion to call street dogs, so if you use it for a person, it implies that they are a lowly dog. On the other hand, the etiquette in Thailand is slightly different. It's rude to call someone using a beckoning motion with your fingers pointed upwards. Instead, turn your palm down and summon someone with the entire hand. It's important to keep in mind that people in Thailand also very rarely use gesticulation, so turning the hand downwards and beckoning gently comes across as less aggressive.

According to Rick Steves, tourists often over-exaggerate the fingertip kiss (also called a chef's kiss) used in Italy, Spain, Germany, France, and other countries to communicate that something is excellent or delicious. To avoid embarrassment, he recommends keeping the gesture small. Think of it like caramel drizzled over ice cream — a little is nice, but if you add too much, it's just a mess.