Rome Gay Guide

Accommodation

• ebab
• Inexpensive gay private accommodation service with approx. 35 objects in Rome
• www.ebab.com
• ebab (›enjoy bed and breakfast‹) is the leading private accommodation service for
  gays & lesbians in Europe and an inexpensive alternative to hotels.

• Domus Valeria
• Gay Bed & Breakfast. 60–130 €
• Via del Babuino 96 [Metro: Spagna, Flaminio]
• www.domusvaleria.it
• Bed & Breakfast near Piazza di Spagna and Piazza del Popolo. With two doubles and one single room, shared facilities, Wi-Fi Internet access and a large roof garden.

• B&B Orlando Innamorato
• Bed & Breakfast. 65–110 €
• Via Mortara 2 [Metro: Re di Roma, Ponte Lungo]
• Reviews, Photos & Reservation
• Gay & lesbian friendly. Converted top floor flat in the Appio Latino quarter with 3 rooms, terrace and free Wi-Fi Internet access.

• B&B Second Floor

• Bed & Breakfast. 130–160 €
• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 10 [Metro: Colosseo]
• Reviews, Photos & Reservation
• 5 air-conditioned rooms with private baths and free Wi-Fi, mainly aimed at gay couples. Situated only few steps away from the Colosseum, directly above
  Rome’s renowned gay & lesbian cafe-bar Coming Out.

Cafes

• Coming Out
• Daily 10:00 – 02:00
• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 8 [Metro B: Colosseo]
• +39 06-7009871; www.comingout.it
• Gay bistro-cafe and cocktail lounge. Its street terrace – with view of a part of the nearby Colosseum – is very popular and busy in the evenings.
  
  Upmarket gay-friendly Bed & Breakfast on the second floor.

• Ice Cream Bears

• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 120
• Photos
• Small ice cream parlour, also sandwiches etc.
  Bring your bear’s photo for their wall!
  Close to the Colosseum, opposite the Basilica di San Clemente.

Restaurants

• Taverna Edoardo II
• Wed-Mon 19:00 – 00:30; Tue closed
• Vicolo Margana 14
• +39 06-69942419; www.edoardosecondo.com
• Gay restaurant with traditional Mediterranean cuisine and seasonal products. Located in one of these small old lanes near Piazza Venezia. Ring the bell if the door is closed.
  The decor is traditional Italian, with a charming splash of kitsch, gay iconography and craziness (don’t miss to visit the toilet!-)
  Friday and Saturday with strip shows and other shows. Sundays are rather quiet.

Guest Reviews

›We didn’t get a menu but were only asked two questions and they brought us the best pasta (with sea food) we ever had in a restaurant.
I would always trust these guys to choose the right food for me again.‹
- Mike, March 2009

Bars & Pubs

• Coming Out
• Daily 10:00 – 02:00
• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 8 [Metro B: Colosseo]
• +39 06-7009871; www.comingout.it
• Gay bistro-cafe and cocktail lounge. Its street terrace – with view of a part of the nearby Colosseum – is very popular and busy in the evenings.
  
  Upmarket gay-friendly Bed & Breakfast on the second floor.

• My Bar
• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 12 [Metro B: Colosseo]
• +39 06-7004425
• Next to the cafe Coming Out near the Colosseum. With popular street terrace.
  Cafe and restaurant with mostly tourists during the day, bar with a rather gay clientele in the evening.

• Garbo
• Tue-Sun 22:00 – 05:00; Mon closed
• Vicolo di Santa Margherita 1a
• +39 06-58320782, +39 349-8151446 (Mobile)
• Small cosy cocktail bar in Rome Trastevere.
  Best Thursday–Saturday after midnight.

• Hangar
• Wed-Mon 22:30 – 02:00; Tue closed
• Via in Selci 69 [Metro B and night bus: Cavour]
• +39 06-4881397
• Founded 1984 as Rome’s first gay pub, and still one of the more popular places (especially among gay tourists, due to its central position).
  With small, totally dark backroom.

Clubs & Parties

Upcoming Irregular Partys

• Splash Roma presents: Circus @ Room 26
• 2 June 2012, 23:30 – 05:00
• Piazza Guglielmo Marconi 31
• Gay party with international House and Pop DJs, shows and Gogo dancers. Entrance 15–18 €, incl. 1 drink.
  

• Crazy Ball Festival
• 12 – 15 July 2012
• www.crazyballfestival.com
• Gay & lesbian summer party weekend with five parties, international DJs and various performers.

Regular Partys and Clubs

• Amigdala @ Animal Social Club
• 2nd Saturday of the month, from 22:30 (October 2011 – April 2012)
• Via di Portonaccio 23 E [Metro: Tiburtina]
• www.amigdalaqueer.it
• Queer culture party: electronic music, concerts, exhibitions, short films, video visuals etc.
  Entrance: 7 € (with the Arcigay card)

• Bear Monday @ Radio Londra
• Monday from 23:30
• Via di Monte Testaccio 67 [Metro: Piramide]
• +39 347-2445810 (Mobile); www.bearmonday.com
• Weekly gay bears meeting & disco (R’n’B, House, Commercial).
  Entrance: free

• Gloss @ L’Alibi
• Thursday 24:00 – 04:00
• Via di Monte Testaccio 39/44 [Metro: Piramide]
• +39 06-5743448, +39 338-1334441 (Mobile)
• Drag shows & discotheque (2 dancefloors with House and Pop/Commercial).

• Gorgeous I Am @ Alpheus
• Saturday 23:00 – 05:00 (October – mid of June)
• Via del Commercio 36 [Metro: Piramide]
• Infoline +39 340-7538396 (Mobile); www.gorgeousroma.it
• Mixed gay and lesbian party. 4 different rooms, House and Pop.
  Biggest regular gay Saturday night in Rome.
  Entrance: 8–10 €

• Muccassassina @ Qube
• Friday 23:30 – 05:00 (October–May)
• Via di Portonaccio 212
• +39 06-5413985; www.muccassassina.com
• Started as a gay party, but soon became very popular with both straight and gay young and trendy party people. (Long queue at the entrance.)
  3 dancefloors (House, Black and Pop) and a Techno area.

Video: Muccassassina party

• Omogenic @ Distillerie Clandestine
• Friday 23:30 – 04:30 (end of September – mid of June)
• Via Giuseppe Libetta 13 [Metro: Piramide]
• www.omogenic.it
• Lesbian & gay dance party: Pop, Commercial, Indie, Electro.
  Entrance: 8–10 €, incl. 1 drink

• Spectrum Italia® @ Radio Cafè
• Sunday 19:30 – 23:00
• Via Principe Umberto 67 [Metro: Vittorio Emanuele, Tram: Santa Bibiana]
• www.spectrumitalia.net
• Weekly gay evening at Radio Cafè in the Esquilino quarter.
  An uniquely Italian kind of event: The night starts at 19:30 with an aperitif and dinner buffet (›AperiCena‹). Later on Drag show, animation and games and from approx. 22:00 discotheque.
  Mixed ages, mainly in their thirties.
  Entrance: 12 €, incl. buffet (till 22:00) and 1 drink

• Tommy Night @ L’Alibi
• Saturday from 23:00 (end of September – June)
• Via di Monte Testaccio 39/44 [Metro: Piramide]
• +39 338-2988186 (Mobile); Photos
• 2 big dancefloors: Commercial and mainstream House. Mixed gay and straight clientele.
  Entrance: 15 € incl. 1 drink

Guest Reviews

›Much Ado About Nothing! According to the long queue outside, this party seems to be very popular with Saturday night party people from Rome. The doormen outside behaved very indiscriminately, hostile and rude – like they were at Studio 54 in N.Y. – but once inside we found the music, the atmosphere, the Gogos and the other shows nothing but average. Our worst night out in years.‹
- Andy, February 2009

• Frutta e Verdura After Hour
• Sunday from 04:30
• Via di Santa Passera 27
• +39 347-2446721, +39 347-8797063 (Mobile)
• Cruisy After Hour party. Mixed gay, transsexual and straight crowd.
  Far away from the city centre.

Cruising & Fetish

• Gate & Frequency
• Daily 22:00 – 03:00; Fri, Sat till 04:00; Oct–May: Wed from 15:00
• Via Tuscolana 380 [Metro A: Furio Camillo]
• +39 06-7840335; www.gateroma.it
• Bears-friendly gay bar & cruising labyrinth.
  Check club website for weekly agenda & (un)dresscodes.
  Wednesday 15:00 – 21:00 bears naked party.

• Hangar
• Wed-Mon 22:30 – 02:00; Tue closed
• Via in Selci 69 [Metro B and night bus: Cavour]
• +39 06-4881397
• Founded 1984 as Rome’s first gay pub, and still one of the more popular places (especially among gay tourists, due to its central position).
  With small, totally dark backroom.

• Il Diavolo Dentro
• Tue-Thu 16:00 – 21:00; Fri, Sat 22:00 – 04:00; Sun 16:00 – 21:00
• Largo Itri 23 [from Termini: Tram 5, 14, Night bus N12: Prenestina/Telese]
• +39 392-4907271 (Mobile); www.ildiavolodentro.com
• Gay sexclub with bar and play areas, cabins and slings. Mostly naked parties.
  Mixed ages, mainly 40+.
  Entrance: 10 €, incl. 1 softdrink

• K Men’s Club
• Tue-Sun 22:30 – 03:00; Fri, Sat till 04:00; Mon closed
• Via Amato Amati 6-8 [Bus 105, Night bus N18: Casilina/Filarete]
• +39 06-21701268, +39 349-5876731 (Mobile)
• Playrooms and cabins.
  Mixed ages, clientele mainly in their thirties and fourties.
  Entrance: 6 €

• Skyline Club
• Daily 22:30 – 03:00; Fri, Sat till 04:00
• Via Pontremoli 36 [Metro: San Giovanni]
• +39 06-7009431
• Cruisy gay bar and labyrinth with cabins.
  Mixed ages and mixed type of men.
  Entrance: approx. 8 €, incl. 1 drink

• Leather Club Roma
• www.lcroma.com
• Check their website for special events organized or supported by this Leather club, for instance the annual Leather & Fetish event ›Catacombs‹ in December.

Saunas

• Apollion Sauna
• Daily 14:00 – 23:00
• Via Mecenate 59a
• +39 06-4825389, +39 338-2433416 (Mobile); www.apollionsauna.com
• Gay sauna in the center of Rome, near the Colosseum.
  Entrance: 13 €

• E.M.C. (Europe Multi Club)
• Mon-Thu 13:00 – 24:00; Fri 13:00 – Sun 24:00 nonstop
• Via Aureliana 40 [Metro: Repubblica]
• +39 06-4823650; www.europamulticlub.com
• Big gay sauna incl. bar and small gym. Clientele: 20s–40s.
  Entrance: 15 €

• Sauna Mediterraneo
• Daily 13:00 – 23:00
• Via Pasquale Villari 3 [Metro A: Manzoni]
• +39 06-77205934; Photos
• Gay sauna, clientele mainly mature men and bears.
  Entrance: 14 € (-26 years 10 €)

• Terme di Roma Internazionale
• Via Persio 4
• Old-style sauna club. Gay only Sun-Wed, Thu-Sat ›unisex‹. Very unpleasant atmosphere.
  Far from city center and difficult to reach (Metro + bus). Very expensive, as you have to acquire a separate membership card that can be used only for this sauna.

Shops

• Souvenir
• Daily 12:00 – 24:00
• Via di San Giovanni in Laterano 26 [Metro B: Colosseo]
• +39 06-97845755
• Small gay shop close to the Colosseum and the gay cafe-bar Coming Out.
  Party tickets, magazines, photo books, comic books, T-shirts, underwear, accessories, toys, gadgets and souvenirs.

Video: ›Souvenir‹ shop inauguration in 2010

• Alcova
• Mon 15:00 – 20:00; Tue-Sat 10:00 – 20:00
• Piazza Sforza Cesarini 27 [Bus 40: Chiesa Nuova]
• +39 06-6864118
• Gay-friendly. Fetish clothes and accessories. Friendly and helpful staff.
  ›If you’re a single man or woman, a couple, heterosexual, bisexual, gay, lesbian, crossdresser and you’re visiting the city, come to Alcova: you might take home more than just a nice picture of the Coliseum.‹

• SKH – Studio Know How
• Tue-Sat 10:30 – 20:00
• Via di San Gallicano 13
• +39 06-58335692
• Small gay sex shop. Mainly DVDs and some toys.