Florence Gay Travel Guide 2025

Upcoming Events in Florence

|  17 – 20 June 2025
Pitti Immagine Uomo: semiannual fashion week for new men's fashion.
The fair sees itself as an important presentation site for young, ambitious and occasionally unconventional menswear labels. Sometimes also the big established designers present their men's fashion – mainly as official star guests – but the focus is on launching new brands of fashion for men.
09:00 – 18:00/16:00 @ Fortezza da Basso (Viale Filippo Strozzi 1)
-›  uomo.pittimmagine.com
|  21 June 2025
Toscana Pride 2025: big LGBTQIA+ demonstration, each year in a different Tuscan city – 2025 in Florence's neighboring town of Prato.
 From 16:00 @ Prato (Piazza del Mercato Nuovo)
-›  toscanapride.eu
-›  facebook.com/toscanapride
|  24 June 2025
Festa di San Giovanni & Calcio Storico Fiorentino: Every year on 24 June, Florence in Italy celebrates Saint John the Baptist, the patron saint of the city.
Festivities include the fireworks at 22:00 (best watched from the banks of the Arno river) and in the evening the final match of the football games in historical costumes (›Calcio Storico Fiorentino‹, which some claim to be the true origin of modern football) in Piazza Santa Croce.
-›  cultura.comune.fi.it
-›  Wikipedia: Calcio Fiorentino

Accommodation Tip

Florence, Borghese Palace Art Hotel
Hotel. ****, from 70 €
Residence from the 15th century, blended with stylish, modern features.
Located in the historical center of Florence.
@ Via Ghibellina 174/r
Florence 50123

About Florence

David statue in Florence

Florence, a centre of medieval trade and finance and long ruled by the Medici family, was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, represented by names such as Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci.
Florence is world-famous especially for its art and architecture and has been one of the most visited cities in Italy and Europe for centuries.

The downside of this popularity is that thousands of tourists push through the narrow streets day by day.
Our tip: In the evening – when most of the tourist groups and busses have left the city center – the streets and piazzas of Florence are much more enjoyable. Piazza di Santa Croce, Piazza della Signoria and cutie David are still admirable after sunset.
Ponte Vecchio has more atmosphere at night without all the jewelry shacks and may be the perfect end of a romantic walk along the river. And by all means try the delicious Tuscan cuisine – but avoid the gastronomic tourist traps along the main sights and tourist paths.

Although Florence had the first gay disco in Italy (back in 1974), the gay bars and clubs in Florence are rather small in number and size. Some of the reasons are the rather conservative atmosphere in Florence, the real estate prices within the city and the poor parking opportunities (most guys live in the area around Florence).

P.S.: In case you wonder about the ›r‹ in many street numbers on the following pages: Street addresses in Florence have a double numbering system with red and black numbers. The ›r‹ stands for ›rosso‹ (red).