No matter what country you are in, what language you speak and how far you are from home, an Italian is always recognized by his gestures. In addition to the word, there is a language of signs, which for us Italians has a very special idiomatic power, which enhances the voice, articulates it, gives it significance, confirms it, which is not the case with any other people. He knows very well Isabella Rossellini, Italian naturalized American actress and model, daughter of Swedish Ingrid Bergman and Italian director Roberto Rossellini. Born and raised in Rome, where she studied at the Academy of Costume and Fashion before moving permanently to the United States, she is well-acquainted with common Italian gestures.
In a recent hilarious video, Richard Avedon’s muse shows her followers the book she usually gives to her foreign friends to introduce them to Italian Sign Language. Name Supplement to the Italian dictionary Bruno Munari and it is a classic, signed by a great designer, which, in a reference book of just a hundred pages, collects all the gestures that Italians resort to when they want to express a concept more poignantly, without the use of words. A staunch supporter of the communicative power of Neapolitan gestures, which he extends to the entire boot, Munari considers the most famous, but also the least obvious gestures, the translation of which he offers in four different languages: Italian, English, French, German.
Introducing the booklet, Isabella Rossellini translates into English some of the most iconic gestures, starting with the one on the cover. They call mano an artichoke, and also a tulip, a rapier, a bunch, and even a “cuoppo”, but the meaning for us Italians is universal: “What do you want? What are you saying?”, “What are you saying?” Want? What are you going to say?” beautifully translated by Rossellini. “This is a book by Bruno Munari that I give to all my foreign friends and it’s about Italian gestures,” she explains cheerfully, before illustrating some “movements” such as a hand under the chin meaning “I don’t care.” pointing to the cheek to say “great” and to the temple to say “you’re crazy.”
The horns are unavoidable, “which are a talisman, but for some they are an insult,” elaborates the actress, who ends the episode with a gesture of an umbrella. “In some countries it indicates sunrise, but not in Italy, no, no,” clarifies the former model with a priceless Oscar-winning expression. Italian gesticulation lessons from Isabella Rossellini? Raise your hands who wants.
Source: Elle