Body Language : Greece and Italy

By MzTravelDiva ⋅ July 7, 2008 ⋅  Email This Post ⋅  Print This Post ⋅ Post a comment

One of our most frequented posts is the piece we did on Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s article, Etiquette 101. So, we decided to bring you more.

The articles not only highlight hand gestures, but also cultural practices, from driving to socializing, that are acceptable and those that are not. Because we always want to have good manners no matter where we go. In the June issue, Etiquette 101 highlights some do’s and don’ts of Mediterranean culture.

It’s all Greek to me…
Get this straight before you go…“yes” means “no” and “no” means “yes”. At least when it comes to head nodding.

As shown in the drawing above (sorry if my scan is kind of blurry), raising the head means “no” and lowering it mean “yes”. Watch how you gesture “five”…or you might just tell a vendor to go to a very “hot” place instead.

Hitting the road in Italy…
Just try not to get hit… whether your a driver or pedestrian. I never want to be the guy in scene #5.