Their favorite and most commonly used gesture is "pinching fingers", that is, fingers close together and fingertips facing up. In Italian, this gesture is called "Mano a borsa", and in English, it means "pinching fingers", "finger purse" or "pine cone hand". Italians use it to express various emotions, such as confusion, helplessness, disappointment, anger, incomprehension and so on.
So how do you keep an Italian from talking? It's simple. Tie his hands.