Neapolitan Hand Gestures, between tradition and contemporaneity
His name is Corallino©...just Corallino©.
He's as tall as they make me and he's as light as a feather, even though he loves good food.
He's product of Gianluca Isaia's mind and heart. You could say, he's a figment of Gianluca Isaia's imagination.
Why is Corallino© here?
To introduce you to Neapolitan Hand Gestures, a centuries-old culture of communication, comprehensible to
anyone, anywhere and anytime.
Don't be shy, play with Corallino© and enter the world of ISAIA, the Neapolitan way esteemed around the world.
** GREAT NEWS**
Corallino© Stickers are now available for your iPhone on the APP Store!
PLAY WITH HIM
Depending on the situation, a cuckold is either a man whose partner is a little too exuberant, or a very, very shrewd person, with a pointy brain, like having horns.
International, simple, effective and at times even disarming. In Naples it’s one of the first things you learn, right after “mamma,” “pizza,” and “babbà.”
Served at the average temperature from lava spewed by Mt. Vesuvius, coffee is a basic element in the Neapolitan food pyramid.
This is the gesture you use when you've just told someone “’nu ’nciucio,” a secret, some gossip.
An easy, international version of “Ch’ vai truvann’?” (What are you looking for?)
Look at my hands. Then look at my facial expression. My hands are referring to an "ass" and facial expression means "I'm going to whip your ass".
The gesture imitates the blade of a pen-knife typically used by thugs, ready to disfigure their adversary.
Curling one's moustache is a gesture to show that something deserves more than a score of five on TripAdvisor.
The arms or cheeks are used to imitate the swelling. Often you're close to receiving another indication that will take you to a place where the sun never shines.
If you want to get this facial expression, which condenses Neapolitan repugnance for stinginess, try drinking the juice of half a grapefruit.
The Neapolitan is magnanimous. He justifies the biggest botch-ups with a mythological vice; inspired by Bacchus, it's the passion for good wine and spirits.
A Neapolitan is generous and has a big heart. But when he can't do anything about something he simply shrugs.
This gesture is done at the end of a deal, before raising a glass of limoncello from Capri and enjoying a delicious “sfugliatella riccia” (rolled up pastry).
That “halfway thing” or “accussì accussì” is the gesture of something that’s enough but not everything.
A gullible person (or “babbasone”) is harder and harder to find in the world shrewdness that we live in.
Perhaps the most picturesque gesture in Parthenopean tradition. This gesture is dedicated to a person who has been fooled and suddenly becomes a pepper (don't ask why, a pepper is a fool in Napoli).
Naples seems to live in an endless state of serenity, that's why when a disgrace happens the pain is almost unbearable.
Naples is the city of music. Among its songs, the common saying “nummenepòffregàdeméno” (I couldn't care less), has the sweetest sound one can imagine.
“Cuccare” for a Neapolitan means to lay down, stretch, yawn… and lastly say, "Goodnight, Corallì, and don't forget to turn off the light!"
Imagine a person who talks so much that their words literally fill up your head. Why not show them you're going to explode?
It’s the feeling you get when something goes down the wrong way, gets stuck in your windpipe.
“Ch’ v’ sit’ mis’ ’ncap’?” Are you really going to do that?
The “ciucciuéttola” is the owl, a bird that brings bad luck. It simply must go. Sciò!
This gesture is used to describe someone who dedicates no time to sit down and eat. This is obviously not what you expect from a proper Neapolitan. We enjoy our meals...it is our favourite past time.
While elsewhere a person can be blinded by their hunger, in Naples they risk dying. Luckily, help can be found on every corner.
Corallì, the Neapolitan is a rascal. Always generous, never foolish, often shrewd.
“Vai fujénn’” means being on the lam because you've really done it this time. Or are about to.
While elsewhere a person can be blinded by their hunger, in Naples they risk dying. Luckily, help can be found on every corner.
Unit of measurement used mostly in the kitchen. Everyone knows that Neapolitans are very precise about things.
The gesture often ends with the words “’stu fetent’ ’e mmerd’” (he’s a real piece of shit) aimed at the unlucky one.
It’s a dramatic way to say “no.” Corallino© knows: we’re always willing, but when we say “no” it’s “no.”
If you’re too much of a wise-guy, you can end up either in jail or “’int’ ’o tavùto” (in a coffin). So you better get your act together.
The Neapolitan is born with a sharp mind, but his sharpness improves day by day (and even by night).
If you love someone, demonstrate it: with all your passion, and body!
Pure contemporary art that stretches as far as the avant-garde of the “vafanculisti,” “vafammocchisti,” and “vafafottisti” (fuck off).