Unfortunate photo

Yes, that's it.

I just thought it was a US fellow traveler with an itchy chin....he sure doesn't look Italian to me.... But yes, easily misinterpreted.

I interpret it the other way around:
Smiling Italian helpfully looks up the phrase she wants to say in a bemused tourist's phrasebook.

Beware of your assumptions☺

It is simply two people on a RS tour studying the language phrase book on the topic of what hand gestures mean (and which ones to possibly avoid).

It’s a pedagogical photo to teach all of us about the importance of learning about other cultures and not inadvertently making an insulting gesture. Certainly, it was put there to educate us. Very funny Philip!

Philip,
Help those who are clueless.......like ME.
What does the gesture mean? Use scientific or medical terms, if necessary to keep the Forum kid friendly :)

I would have personally thought he was just keep in thought.

Maggie, I agree. Whatever some of you think it was meant to imply, I totally missed it. I thought it was a couple reading a phrase book. I'm very literal........Could one of you please explain what I am missing here?

Andi and Maggie, Google Italian hand gestures for an education, but simply, a hand held like that and flicked forward is essentially (nicely phrased) 'I don't give a darn'.

I did know about that meaning/gesture but didn't occur to me when I saw this picture. I guess I am naive or must be dense. Thank you, MariaF, I will brush up with your google recommendation.

I am a native and life-long Philadelphian, and fluent in Italian hand-gestures. That is not what this gesture means.

The most polite way to put this, that gesture is a brush-off - a particularly profane one.

Assuming it is the Italian gesture of scratching the chin by moving the finger forward, it’s not considered an extremely offensive gesture. It simply means “I don’t care!”

For more Italian culture learning see below.

https://youtu.be/RGteKQPWKlA

Roberto, have you been to South Philly?

Of course they picked that photo on purpose. You have to know what people are saying to you, not just how to say it.

It appears to me that they are together; she is pointing to something and laughing; he is practicing the gesture.

Okay: Declaring a Forum Challenge!!

WHO is the guy? I assume (maybe incorrectly) that the RS site uses a lot of tour goer photos, or of people who attend the annual (whatever they are called) meetings at the home office.

So, who might this guy be?

Does everyone remember Ed who used to regularly post here? I will start with guessing it is him. Second guess is Charlie. Third guess is one of the Franks.

If anyone has facial recognition software, you may have an edge.

Photo NOT taken in Edmonds.

Given the tile floors, style of chairs and wine bottles, my guess is "somewhere in Italy"

He probably asked, 'why did x do this to me'? and the wife is getting a kick at finding out

Ed who used to regularly post here

Ed hated RS and everything he represented. So I'm guessing it's not him.

The photo is not from the US because I don't see anyone in the background staring at their phone. ; )

You're seriously suggesting Europeans don't do that as well????

Ha ha! My father in-law used to do that to my husband when hubby was giving him a hard time!

Michael, just a joke!

Growing up, I saw a lot of hand gestures from my Sicilian relatives, lol.

To me, the picture is showing a man and his wife reading up on Italian with the RS book. They are probably just having a poke at what they are seeing or reading in the book.

The hand gesture, as I take it to be, means primarily, "I don't care."

Here is a fun video of some hand gestures. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WwZ6NTV1nRc

Another fun video to watch. Cute old Man https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aHZwYObN264

I might have got the wrong impression from seeing coverage over here of a controversy some years ago, when the late Justice Scalia was caught on camera making the gesture to a reporter who had questioned him about whether his personal religious beliefs had an effect on his rulings on church-state cases.

A couple of my favs I heard when I was little --

testa di zucca = squash head (translated to being hard headed)

fare la figura del baccala = fish head (translated to looking like an idiot)

pazzo = crazy or stupid in the head

Fascinating. Just as some words can be rude or "dirty" in one country but not in another, it appears that gestures can be as well.

I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and have now lived in New York City for over 30 years. I have only been a visitor to Italy.

In New York City as well as in Philadelphia, that gesture is common among Italian Americans, and is widely known to people of all ethnicities. I can assure you that in those cities, it means exactly what Larry says it means. Do not try it in either of those cities unless you want to get punched. It's extremely confrontational and rude.

However, I also believe Roberto when he says that in Italy, it simply means "I don't care" and is not rude. Clearly, many posters here are unaware of the potential rude meaning of the gesture, so it appears to be a regional variation within North America as well.

So, if the person who chose that photograph is from the northeast of the United States, it's a provocative photograph. If the person is from somewhere else, they may have been completely unaware of the potential ruder meaning of the gesture the man was making.

I'd say it means "I couldn't care less" in Italy: not really rude but not polite, either.

Mr Steves' staff and readers will be sad to know that is almost unknown to anybody younger than 40 and living north of Rome, or - if they know it - they would never dream of using it in their daily lives. Just like the "I'm hungry" gesture, it's still used only by old italians trying to be funny.

Ordering gelato in Italy and want to get a tasty combo? Try "Che si sposano bene?" (Which flavors marry well?)

Never heard of "si sposano bene" about food. When we talk about ingredients and fashion amenities we say "that are Good together" an expression that in Italian could also mean: "those two make a lovely couple".
Saying that gelato flavours "Marry well" sounds pompous and a little ridiculous, I have the impression Mr. Steve could never force himself to throw away the old Italian phrasebook he bought in the late 50s.

I've often been amused by that photo and have also wondered if it is intentional. I assume it is.
That gesture here in the US is a bit harsh...I would not use it unless I wanted things to get a bit dicey.
In Italy, yeah, it's a gesture that is not nearly as strong but a gesture nevertheless.
When you travel you need to pay very close attention to how you use your hands. In Korea a hand place over your arm is not going to be as well received as one placed under it...and so on.
The one gun salute...recognized for what it is everywhere.

I hate to revive an old thread, but there seemed to be a lot of interest in this photo. I just got around to looking at my Rick Steves Italian Phrasebook (the one pictured) and the "chin flick" is clearly described in the book as one to know - translated as "I'm not interested" "you bore me" or just plain "no". This is the 2008 version of the book, on page 273, so I don't know if its in the current one. But I would guess this is a photo from a RS tour, with the two folks practicing the gesture at breakfast. Whether its interpreted differently in the US, is another issue.