Italy is a hugely popular destination for travelers from all around the world, and LGBTQ travelers will feel safe and welcomed in most parts of the country. There are many different clubs, saunas, festivals, and neighborhoods that come together to make up LGBTQ Italy. We’ve compiled the information you need to get prepared for your trip.
Traveling safely in Italy
On the whole, Italy is a safe, welcoming country for LGBTQ travelers to visit. In major cities, particularly popular tourist spots, travelers can feel totally comfortable being visibly LGBTQ in public. However, in smaller towns in more rural areas, LGBTQ couples may want to reduce public displays of affection, as it may be more likely to attract negative attention.
LGBTQ Italy: Milan
Milan is one of Italy’s most popular cities for LGBTQ travelers and for good reason. The fashion capital is often also referred to as the country’s ‘Gay Capital’, and it has probably the largest LGBTQ scene in Italy as well as the most open. Porta Venezia and Via Sammartini are Milan’s main LGBTQ districts, with a strong LGBTQ presence and community. However, for the most part, Milan doesn’t have a concentrated LGBTQ village because its scene is spread throughout the city.
LGBTQ bars and clubs in Milan
Blanco Milano is an LGBTQ bar and cafe very close to the center of Milan. LeccoMilano is a wonderful smaller LGBTQ bar in Porta Venezia; they serve fun cocktails and have great DJs keeping the atmosphere up. Mono Bar is a cool, retro-themed LGBTQ bar close to LeccoMilano. Club 23 is a smaller lounge-style bar that hosts fantastic drag and cabaret shows.
LGBTQ shopping in Milan
Along with a variety of LGBTQ bars at Via Lecco, you can also find shops with clothes and other goods made by up-and-coming LGBTQ artists. Libreria La Babele is an LGBTQ-friendly bookstore where you can find your next beach or airplane read. Pier Pour Hom is an LGBTQ-focused novelty store, perfect for buying gifts for friends back home.
Where to stay in Milan
Hotel Sanpi is a charming hotel in Porta Venezia. It’s located just down the street from Via Lecco, so you’ll be right in the heart of one of Milan’s best LGBTQ communities. The adorably named B&B Too Cute 2b Str8 embraces communal living, and their staff is extremely knowledgeable about the local scene, so it’s a perfect place to get some tips.
LGBTQ Italy: Rome
The country’s capital has a growing LGBTQ scene, with plenty of clubs and bars to head to in the evening. Compared to other major cities, particularly Milan, Rome’s LGBTQ scene is a little more discreet and underground. Rome’s ‘Gay Street’, Via San Giovanni Laterano, is an LGBTQ-friendly neighborhood near the Colosseum.
Gay Village festival
The Gay Village festival is held in Parco del Ninfeo and some of the nearby neighborhoods. The festival hosts LGBTQ street parties, concerts, and film screenings all summer long. The festival attracts over 200,000 visitors every year and it’s a great way to meet other LGBTQ tourists from all over the world.
LGBTQ bars on Gay Street
The bars on Gay Street have a relaxed, welcoming atmosphere and are popular with locals and tourists alike. Coming Out is probably the most popular LGBTQ bar in Rome and is considered something of an institution amongst the city’s LGBTQ community. Open from lunchtime, you can start the night here with some food and a few drinks before heading just next door to My Bar, which has a dance floor and DJ in the back.
LGBTQ bars outside of Gay Street
With the bars on Gay Street generally having a more chill vibe, you’ll want to head a little further outside of the city center if you’re looking for more of a club atmosphere. Ostiense is a great neighborhood with a few LGBTQ clubs close to each other, such as MEN2MEN. Near the Trastevere neighborhood, you’ll find the Garbo bar, a fantastic place to head to after the other bars close. It has a bit of an exclusive, lounge-like atmosphere and you’ll need to have an in with the locals before you can visit – you usually need to be invited by someone who already knows the place.
LGBTQ saunas in Rome
There are a couple of LGBTQ saunas in Rome and you’ll need to purchase a membership card to get in, though these can be bought when you arrive. Near Gay Street, you can find a few LGBTQ saunas. One of these is Apollion Sauna, which has a wide variety of amenities, including a smoking room and bar. Europa Multiclub is another sauna that includes a Turkish-style bath and a small gym.
LGBTQ Italy: Venice
While Venice is a LGBTQ-friendly destination where any LGBTQ traveler should feel comfortable, it doesn’t have much of an LGBTQ scene. There aren’t really any LGBTQ neighborhoods like there are in cities like Rome and Milan. While there aren’t many LGBTQ bars within the city of Venice, most establishments are LGBTQ-friendly. One popular hangout for LGBTQ locals is the Ristoteca Oniga bar and restaurant, which specializes in tasty seafood.
LGBTQ bars in and around Venice
The main LGBTQ club in Venice is TRASH&CHIC, which runs themed parties on Saturdays and is located in Mestre, just outside the city center. For more variety, travelers visiting Venice who want to explore the LGBTQ nightlife might prefer to head to the nearby city of Padova. Here you’ll find more clubs, bars, and saunas. Anima Underground has delicious cocktails and is one of the most popular LGBTQ bars in Padova, meaning it always has a great atmosphere.
LGBTQ Italy: Florence
Florence doesn’t have as much of a defined LGBTQ village or LGBTQ neighborhoods as Rome and Milan do; the Santa Croce neighbourhood is the closest thing. It contains the popular bar Queer, which has a pumping atmosphere, and the nearby Piccolo Cafe, which has a more quiet, intimate atmosphere. In Florence, the Continentale Hotel is an LGBTQ-friendly hotel, perfect for couples looking for a romantic getaway close to many of Florence’s top attractions, including the Uffizi Gallery and the famous Ponte Vecchio.
Florence Queer Festival
Florence has hosted an international LGBTQ film festival since 2003: the Florence Queer Festival. It usually runs in October and shows feature-length films as well as short films and documentaries. You can also see live panels, guest talks, and performances.
LGBTQ Italy: Naples
The largest city in Southern Italy, Naples is a great city for those looking for a more affordable trip than the bigger, more touristy cities. The city has a relatively small LGBTQ scene, but it can be perfect for getting to know the local LGBTQ community. As the larger LGBTQ scenes are also in the larger, more tourist-dense cities, it can be harder to engage with the local LGBTQ community. In Naples, though the city may not as popular with LGBTQ travelers, you’ll find it easy to meet LGBTQ locals who can give you tips on the best events and venues.
LGBTQ bars in Naples
Generally speaking, Piazza Bellini is considered the meeting point of the Naples LGBTQ community. If you’re just looking for a place to chill in an LGBTQ-friendly environment, Bar Fiorillo is something of an unofficial LGBTQ bar. Located in Piazza Bellini, it’s very popular with the LGBTQ community, which makes it a great place to meet people with a more in-depth knowledge of the city’s LGBTQ scene. Macho Lato is one of the most popular LGBTQ clubs in Naples, with an electric atmosphere and a wide-open dance floor.
LGBTQ Italy: Capri
The island of Capri sits just off the Bay of Naples and is renowned for its beautiful villas and beaches. The island has been a common haven for LGBTQ people from throughout Europe since the early 1900s. Known for its laid-back vibes, Capri isn’t as much of a party place as some of the other LGBTQ-friendly locations in Italy are, making it perfect for a quieter romantic getaway. But if you do still crave some nightlife, Anema e Core is a LGBTQ-friendly, live-music venue that promises an authentic Capri party experience.
LGBTQ Italy: Sicily
The island of Sicily includes a few different cities that have become hotspots for LGBTQ travelers over the years. The region tends to be less out and proud than the big cities on the mainland, but a few cities have growing LGBTQ scenes along with interesting LGBTQ culture and history.
Taormina
Situated on Sicily’s east coast, Taormina is one of Italy’s hidden gems for LGBTQ travellers. This is in part due to its history as a getaway for famous LGBTQ figures, including LGBTQ author Oscar Wilde and sapphic poet Sophia Parnok. While there are few LGBTQ-specific venues, you’ll find the community and local businesses very welcoming. Shatulle is one of the few LGBTQ bars located in Taormina’s city center; the interior decor is centred around a series of homoerotic paintings.
Where to stay in Taormina
Isoco Guest House, in Taormina, Sicily is a B&B-style accommodation where each room represents a different artist. The B&B is LGBTQ-friendly and you are quite likely to meet other LGBTQ travelers staying there.
Catania
If you’re headed to the island of Sicily, the city of Catania is considered one of the most LGBTQ-friendly cities on the island. The Cortile Alessi bar and restaurant in the Catania city center is a historic LGBTQ hangout. Be sure to look up Pegaso’s Circus, a LGBTQ bar that hosts performance events every weekend. If you’re visiting in summer, you have to head to Discus Beach, where you can watch open-air performances and drink cocktails under the stars.
LGBTQ-friendly Catania beaches
Discus Beach is probably the most popular LGBTQ-focused beach in the city, but there are quite a few LGBTQ beaches tucked away. Oasi del Simeto is just outside the city and is a clothing-optional beach popular with LGBTQ travelers – it tends to be less well-known among mainstream tourists.
Palermo and the Sicilia Queer FilmFest
Sicily’s capital, Palermo, isn’t as well known for its LGBTQ scene, but it does have a few locations and events that draw in LGBTQ travelers. Most notably, the city hosts the Sicilia Queer FilmFest, which includes lineups of both local and international LGBTQ cinema creators. Screenings are often hosted by the Cinema Rouge et Noir. So if you’re traveling to Sicily between late May and early June, you can take a break from all the sightseeing and clubbing and cozy up in a movie theatre to watch some LGBTQ-themed films.
LGBTQ Italy: Puglia
The region of Puglia, in southeastern Italy, is a highly popular area for LGBTQ tourists. There are many LGBTQ beaches in the region. Spiaggia D’Ayala is the most well-known, situated around 1 hour from Gallipoli by car. Being cordoned off from the main road by thick forest makes D’Ayala a wonderfully secluded nude beach. For something a bit closer to the main city of Gallipoli, Lido Zen beach isn’t officially an LGBTQ beach, but you’ll feel completely comfortable and welcome amidst the younger, more free-spirited crowd.
Bars and clubs in Puglia
The cities of Gallipoli, Lecce, and Bari have most of the region’s LGBTQ nightlife. In Lecce, be sure to check out Marilyn Bar, where the cocktails are next level and you can meet locals and tourists alike. In Gallipoli, Caffe Bellini is great in summer, with the party often being centered on the terrace out the front. Like Marilyn Bar, this one’s popular with both tourists and locals.
Accomodation in Puglia
Lune Saracene is a LGBTQ-specific B&B in Puglia. The rooms themselves are well equipped and there’s a lovely outdoor garden area, but many LGBTQ travelers will love the B&B for its location. It’s close to the popular LGBTQ beach Commendada and Yanny’s Club, a popular LGBTQ club.
LGBTQ Italy: Torre del Lago
If you’re looking for a small-town getaway where you can feel comfortable, one of the best small towns for LGBTQ travelers to visit is Torre del Lago, in Tuscany. The beachside town is perfect whether you’re looking for a quiet escape to relax or a thriving nightlife. Soak in some culture at the town’s heritage museums or the Festival Pucciniano, a tribute to the composer Giacomo Puccini, born in the town. At night, head along the promenade and you’ll find LGBTQ bars and clubs to party all night and Lecciona, the town’s largest LGBTQ beach.
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