Gay Travel Guide Rome

News & Events in Rome

| June 26, 2008 till September 20, 2008
Gay Village 2008: Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 26 June – 20 September.
Annual open-air gay summer event with movies, shops, music, performances, parties and more.
Entrance free 20:00 – 21:30, after: on Thursdays 7 € (incl. 1 drink), on Fridays and Saturdays 13 € (incl. 1 drink).
@ Parco del Ninfeo, Via delle 3 Fontane all’Eur (Metro B: Magliana)
-› www.gayvillage.it
-› www.myspace.com/gayvillage

| August 14, 2008 till August 16, 2008
Bears in the Village: big bear event as part of the Gayvillage Rome (see above).
-› www.bearsinrome.it

About Rome and its gay life

Rome (Roma) is a controversial place for gay men. Remember your gay fantasies when you watched those movies with Roman soldiers and gladiators? See the whole world admiring the sculptures of gorgeous men by gay artists in Rome's museums? Capital of a big, free and democratic country? Don't expect too much from all that regarding the gay scene. Be it for reasons of mentality or because the Pope power reaches also outside the walls of the Vatican City, Rome has by far not the open and colourful gay life as other capitals in Europe.

For many gay venues you have to ring a bell and to purchase a membership to get in. (Maybe this is to keep the hypocritical cardinals out of the play rooms? ;-) Usually you have to pay an annual membership of about 8 € that is valid for several locations.

But the situation starts to change with a new generation of more open and self-confident gay men, as the Gay Village open-air summer (with movies, shops, music, performances, parties) and other events show.

As you can see on the Gay City Map there are no particular gay areas in Rome. The advantage is that you can explore the different parts of Rome also at night while you go to your favourite bars and clubs – no kidding! After 23:00 you will often have to take a taxi or bus; regular night busses start from the bus terminal in front of the railway central station ›Termini‹.