Salento: the new gay statn of Italy

Contents:

• OUR 7 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE GAY ITALY
• TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS ITALY
• SALENTO: THE NEW GAY STATN OF ITALY
• BT GAY CY ITALY? - ITALY FOM
• GAY ITALY TRAVEL GUI

OUR 7 FAVOURE PLAC TO EXPERIENCE GAY ITALY

Wh s many gay clubs, diss, B&B’s and beach, the cy offers a wi choice to anyone wantg to make the most of their holiday.

For travelers lookg to have fun one of Rome’s most betiful districts near the Colossm, Via San Gvanni Laterano, the so-lled Gay Street, is a mt: gay-iendly bars, clubs and rtrants all make for a social eveng.

Not to be missed is the Gay Village, one of the most important events hosted by the cy every summer, which attracts thoands of people.

TIPS FOR GAY AND LBIAN TRAVELERS ITALY

Another mt-do event is the Gay Pri Para, which ually tak place June and clus a march wh tens of thoands of people attendg. “If you love someone take them to Verona” is the Valente’s Day slogan for the cy of Romeo and Juliet, one of Italy’s most gay-iendly ci.

Take a stroll to Piazza Bra to admire the Roman Amphheatre and on to the monumental San Zeno Altarpiece by Andrea Mantegna ntug to Porta Nuova, the historic center wh the elegant Lucla Cafe, a gay-iendly hang out and the perfect place for an aperif. The historil gay hangout Catania cy center is Via Alsi, around Nievki: a bar and an alternative rtrant which has been welg to LGBT people sce the ‘70s. For over twenty years between late June and early July, the cy is flood by the lors of the rabow flag wh a seri of iativ crowng the tradnal Catania Gay Pri Para.

Taorma is one of the most gay-iendly statns on Sicily, an ial statn year round, thanks to the d climate and the foc on fun, relaxatn and joie vivre as well as the warm hospaly of the Sicilian people. It was the end of the 19th century, and Italy was one of those untri where no anti-homosexual laws were place.

SALENTO: THE NEW GAY STATN OF ITALY

All the most cril ci celebrate Pri, dited to gay Pri and the LGBTQI+ muny, equaly towards genr rights, and openns towards all forms of love. In addn to Arcigay Catania, which often anis events and activi at s headquarters Via Sant'Elena, other lser-known associatns have a rich lendar of meetgs and activi. In addn, between late June and early July, the cy has been flood wh the lours of the rabow wh a seri of iativ that end wh the tradnal Catania Gay Pri para.

The Cassero LGBT Center (via Don Mzoni) has been a very active centre promotg many iativ sce 1978, cludg Gay Pri, workshops, nventns, parti and moments of aggregatn general. It is loted wh the medieval walls and took the name of one of the most famo artists and activists of the Bologne gay movement, Stefano Casagran. Not far away are the Garns, where there is the first Italian monument dited to the Nazi persecutn of gays, lbians and Aldi: The buildg which Pier Paolo Pasoli set the exterr shots of his last film, "Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom".

In addn, already the 15th and 16th centuri, there were 'maps' of plac where gay enunters uld take place Florence. Today Florence, the LGBT traveller n fd good support the AITGL - Italian Associatn of Gay & Lbian Tourism. The dtri have acted as an actual gay mag for many Italian and non-Italian young people, who now live their liv proudly and the open.

BT GAY CY ITALY? - ITALY FOM

Full of proposals for the gay muny, the cy has a lot to offer, whether you ci to vis wh your partner or a sgle person. Historilly, the centre of Milan's LGBT scene was near the Central Statn, Via Sammarti, where you n still fd some nightclubs and gay clubs.

GAY ITALY TRAVEL GUI

The Vatin Mms even has a number of homoerotic piec of art and a vis to this magnificent llectn is certaly orr. For visors lookg for an LGBTQ+ scene, the relatively small but spired gay nightlife is only steps away om the Colism. Leonardo Da Vci’s legacy Milan is well known and many historians agree that he was a gay artist leavg his mark many masterpiec of the cy, cludg The Last Supper, hoed by the refectory of the nvent of Santa Maria lle Grazie.

There are also many wonrful lser-known plac where an tert LGBTQ+ history uld lead you, such as Florence's Bargello Mm, which ntas an earlier Renaissance statue of David by the artist Donatello—the first ee-standg male nu sce Classil Antiquy, and a super-sexy homoerotic nu at that. One of the most gay-iendly areas Southern Italy is Puglia, cludg the beachsi town of Gallipoli, which has recently bee a popular statn for LGBTQ+ lols. On the face of LGBT Italy looks somewhat downbeat, but squt a ltle harr and you’ll soon fd a diverse range of gay venu suable for dancg, cisg and dulgg steamy sna meet-cut.

From the sizzlg beach hangouts of Puglia to the lourful cliff towns of Tny, the are our seven favoure plac to experience gay Italy. At night, the town be all the more gay-iendly, particularly at gay bars like Shatulle where both lols and ternatnal gather good pany. While gay-n bs are few and far between, most nightlife the town is to be nsired gay-iendly, wh Iso Gut Hoe holdg a great reputatn among the LGBTQ+ muny.

Said to be one of the most gay-iendly ci the regn, Catania go hand hand wh Taorma for gay travellers seekg culture, herage and low-key partyg. A btlg port cy ma famo by s proximy to Mount Etna and UNESCO-listed baroque archecture, Gay Catania attracts a young and dynamic crowd who breathe life to the old town wh rabow buntg and artsy muny spac. One of the town’s most historic gay hangouts is Via Alsi, an alternative bar and rtrant which has weled LGBT people sce the 1970s.

The climax for gay Sicily and the queer lendar arriv late June each year when gays and advot take to the streets for Catania Gay Pri Para.

As culture grows more liberal, the vibrancy of the gay muny grows wh , allowg for a sctive mix of gay dance parti, snas and cisg spots among the pal’s many cultural hotspots. A beach day is also an optn while Rome; simply travel southwt for epic sunset views on goln sand beach, stoppg at Ostia, Anz, Sperlonga or wherever tak your your troductn to Gay Rome by fanng out east om the Colossm along Via San Gvanni, a social street led wh gay-iendly bars, clubs and rtrants. Align your vis wh the summer-long Gay Village ftival, one of the most important events the cy’s gay lendar which se Par l Nfeo and surroundg neighbourhoods bee overn wh LGBT street parti, live mic, performance art, film screengs and more.

On all other ocsns, start off any one of Rome’s highbrow cktail bars and microbreweri, lowerg the tone later on at an unrground fetish party, wild gay club or good ol’ fashned gay dis. Drawg parisons wh Mykonos and Sg, Torre l Lago is a beachsi town offerg lh landsp, gged ast and a ton of gay-iendly nightlife offergs to keep you by. Walk the promena to fd the village’s ma llectn of gay bars, pubs and clubs, an area which serv as both the lotn of the annual Mardi Gras event and gateway to the town’s biggt gay beach.

MilanMol of the term ‘smopolan cy break’, Milan tops the lists of top gay Italy travel statns, thanks to s stat as the high-fashn pal of the world. Home to the largt – not to mentn the most glamoro – gay muny the untry, Gay Milan offers a vibrant space for LGBTQ divas and fashnistas om all rners of the angl the cy centre nod to some era of archecture; be art nouve around Corso Magenta, ratnalism Piazza San Babila or the futuristic skyle shaped by the lik of Zaha Hadid and César Pelli.

While much of the cy’s nightlife is gay-iendly, the clubs and bars around the Porta Venezia district are muny outposts that host nightly gay-themed events. To fd out about the next big gay event, pick up a ee py of Zerodue or Milano Pri magaz om stor and fés around town, readg more about the bt gay bars Milan has to offer wh our full Milan travel gui.

Dpe the gay muny here beg somewhat spread out leavg the party scene muted, the Gay Amalfi Coast shows self small nods of acceptance towards same-sex upl and offers romantic vatns for all. Has touted Puglia as a leadg, laid-back gay hotspot and a “bohemian alternative” to the r gay scen of Mykonos and Ibiza. To this day, the regn is regularly listed as a top-five European statn acrdg to some of the most followed gay travel fluencers, cludg the Nomadic Boys.

A poll on GaylyPla’s webse, one of Italy’s top sourc for LGBTQ+ travel spiratn, named Puglia as the natn’s top summer statn for Queer travelers 2021. The crowds that spill out and over the siwalks around Gallipoli’s gay bars at night are the same that h the nearby lidos at Baia Ver durg the day. Puglia’s Bt BeachIt’s no surprise that Puglia has two of Italy’s bt gay and naturist beach bee this regn is all about the sea.

Once you park your r nearby, the gay sectn of the clothg-optnal beach is still at least a 30-mute walk away.

Queer travelers ually nverge on two ma statns: Ostuni, the heart of the Valle d’Itria, and Gallipoli – also known lolly as “Gaylipoli” – Salento. Anima is an LGBTQ-iendly, gay-owned and operated, adult-only bed and breakfast set a betiful olive grove between Ostuni and Ceglie Msapi. La Ciclatera Sotto Il Mare is a gay-iendly fé wh a wonrful terrace overlookg Bari’s old port, and ’s the perfect place to enjoy somethg light to eat or a place where you n enjoy a pre-dner aperif.