Please sign in to post.

gay-friendly places in Rome

Can anyone share some tips for the gay traveler in Rome? Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Posted by
7737 posts

There's a great gay-owned restaurant near the Vittoriano monument, called "Taverna Edoardo Secondo." The food is wonderful and the prices are low and the owner (Mario) is a kick. But Rome is no Paris, so don't expect gay friendly neighborhoods.

Posted by
7737 posts

Italy as a whole continues to become more progressive on this, but some public displays of affection, such as hand-holding for two men, will get you some funny looks. As is generally true in the US, larger cities in the north tend to be more progressive. (Of course there are exceptions, as someone may well feel compelled to point out.)

Discretion is the way to go to enjoy this wonderful country.

Posted by
752 posts

Would you all tone down the PDA in Rome? I was recently at Roma Termini when I noticed a large group of men in work clothes laughing and looking at something. I went closer and saw two young guys nearby in a snuggle squat, waiting for a train to come in. They were aware of the group and showed concern, but stayed put. I was worried for them.

I waited around as long as I could but if the situation had gotten out of hand, I wouldn't have known what to do anyway. It's not like here where we give each other space and mind our own business.

Posted by
11613 posts

The Colosseum neighborhood, and in Testaccio is the nightclub Alibi. If you google "gay Rome" lots of lists come up.

Posted by
3812 posts

As everybody knows (google, wiki and my 70 years old mum included) Rome's gay street is Via San Giovanni in Laterano. They have a web page http://www.gaystreetroma.com/ .
Sandra... the more I read your posts, the more I wonder if you are real.

Posted by
3940 posts

My husband and I stayed in an apmt on San Giovanni in Laterno on the block just by the Colosseum...looked like lots of LGBT friendly restaurants and I think dancing/club, judging from the music til midnight and beyond. I think it was the second night, we're like...OHHHHH...when we noticed the rainbow flags and signs about. (We are a hetero couple and in the immortal words of Jerry Seinfeld...Not that there's anything wrong with that) :)

And if you do hit that area...and you want gelato - Don Pepe Cremeria on that first block - divine!

Posted by
792 posts

I completely disagree with Michael. I see male and female couples holding hands/locking arms/kissing on the cheek all of the time in Italy, and have for years. I am sure I am seeing a mixture of friendly gestures between platonic friends and romantic couples. Regardless, I don't think you need to worry about practicing "discretion" and getting looks from people for these types of gestures.

I think Yelp and Trip Advisor are both great places to read reviews on gay friendly restaurants/bars/club. There are a lot of them.

And as far as Sandra's comment- I have seen WAY more straight couples engaged in PDA to the point where I feel like I should offer them money and thank them for the show. Italians are affectionate people.

Posted by
15043 posts

Heterosexual young Italian women hold hands with their female friends while strolling very frequently. So holding hands in Italy is not necessarily a sign of lesbianism. So let's not be fooled by cultural biases.

Posted by
7737 posts

Presumably the OP is male, so discussions of behavior involving two women won't be particularly helpful to Steve. The example I gave was of two men walking and holding hands, which you will not find in Rome. Of course you will see different types of expression of affection between and among friends in a Latin-based culture. What you will not find between two men in Rome is any continuing expression of romantic affection, such as wandering around holding hands.

Posted by
792 posts

EDIT :Absolutely, my answer is anecdotal (though not "limited", I have lived in Rome) and I acknowledge I do not have the perspective of a gay man. I have also seen men hold hands- on multiple occasions. And I wanted to point that out to the OP. Maybe I was seeing couples and not realizing it.

Posted by
7737 posts

If a single woman came to a forum like this and asked for advice on travel as a single woman to a country that doesn't have the greatest record on treating women and that's heavily influenced by a religion that condemns women, as a man I would probably defer to the experiences of single women. I don't think I would negate the response of a single woman and tell the OP she doesn't need to worry about it.

Posted by
3812 posts

If a single woman came to a forum like this and asked for advice on travel as a single woman to a country that doesn't have the greatest record on treating women and that's heavily influenced by a religion that condemns women, as a man I would probably defer to the experiences of single women. I don't think I would negate the response of a single woman and tell the OP she doesn't need to worry about it.

You wrote there isn't a gay neighborhood in Rome and that's ridiculous. Get over it.

You wouldn't be able to really understand the relationship between Italy, gay people and the catholic church in a thousand years, as I can't really understand US and the racial issue. Even if I've been reading american books, watching american movies and listening american music since I was 6. Don't be the ugly american and get over it.

Posted by
7737 posts

In a city of 3 million people, one short street does not make a neighborhood. And I don't presume to say that I understand that complex relationship. But I'm not the one who belittled the whole idea that it might be complex and then told the OP not to worry about it.

Steve, I'm glad you're getting some helpful advice.

Posted by
1501 posts

I'm going to come out of left field here. If you want to see Italy and want a gay friendly experience you might be more comfortable in Taormina Sicily. Google it, it's a breathtaking. I have a friend who arranges gay weddings there. legendofsicily.com

Posted by
792 posts

Steve, I am sorry that my comment derailed your thread and I hope you have gotten some help in your trip planning and that you enjoy your trip.

I did not mean to belittle anyone. My interpretation of Michael's original comment was that any display of public affection between two men would be seen in a negative light. My point was that there are degrees of PDA and I have seen the friendly spectrum of PDA between two women AND two men. And it did not seem to be drawing negative attention. And perhaps the OP would find that information helpful.

I agree my perspective is not as important as another gay male and I did not mean to be dismissive. But to be fair, I had no idea Michael was gay. So if you read his comment, not knowing that detail, it changes the context a little bit. So I wanted to share my experience.

Posted by
7737 posts

Thanks for the clarification, Kristen. I've gone back and tried to modify the tone of some of my responses for future searchers who stumble across this thread.

Posted by
792 posts

And going forward, I will be a lot more careful about assuming I understand the context/tone of a message. Sorry again for causing this to go off topic. I will delete my snarkier comment about anecdotal evidence.