Rome Gay Travel Guide

News & Events in Rome

  • |  5  –  7 December 2008
  • Catacombs 2008:  an ECMC Leather & Fetish weekend, hosted by the Leather Club Roma.
  • -›  Leather Club Website
Double-click below the marker icon to zoom in close map
  • |  20 December 2008
  • Woof:  bear & muscle dance party.
    From 23:30 @ Alpheus (Rome Ostiense, Via del Commercio 36) Map
  • -›  Official Website
Double-click below the marker icon to zoom in close map
  • |  31 December 2008
  • New Year’s Eve in Rome:  Piazza del Popolo and the main squares of Rome are the venues of concerts, parties and pyrotechnic shows.

News Archive

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‹. Map