Since 1861, Italy has had liberal legislation regarding homosexuality, but that doesn't mean it has always been looked on favorably in a Catholic country. Homosexuality is much more accepted in Rome than in the south, especially in Sicily, although Taormina has long been a gay mecca.
The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) links travelers up with gay-friendly hoteliers, tour operators, and airline and cruise-line representatives. It offers monthly newsletters, marketing mailings, and a membership directory that's updated once a year.
Many agencies offer tours and travel itineraries specifically for gay and lesbian travelers. Above and Beyond Tours (tel. 800/397-2681; www.abovebeyondtours.com) is the exclusive gay and lesbian tour operator for United Airlines. Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) is a well-known San Francisco-based gay-owned and -operated travel service. Olivia Cruises & Resorts (tel. 800/631-6277; www.olivia.com) charters entire resorts and ships for exclusive lesbian vacations and offers smaller group experiences for both gay and lesbian travelers.
Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com) is an excellent online successor to the popular Out & About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide. It also offers trip-planning information for gay and lesbian travelers for more than 50 destinations, along various themes, ranging from Sex & Travel to Vacations for Couples.
The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Frommer's Gay & Lesbian Europe (www.frommers.com), an excellent travel resource to the top European cities and resorts; Spartacus International Gay Guide (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide) and Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner (Odysseus Enterprises Ltd.), both good, annual, English-language guidebooks focused on gay men; and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.
Rome Travel Experiences
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Day 8: Venice to Rome
Past medieval hillside villages and through the Apennines Mountains, we travel south to the fabled Seven Hills of Rome. Do as the Romans... Continue reading »
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Meeting with the Pope - Rome
Rome was my final stop in Europe before flying to Egypt, and was one of the places on my trip which I def wanted to visit. Everyone'... Continue reading »
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3 nights in Rome
We arrived in Rome about noon the first day of our trip. We took the train from the airport to the city center, checked into our hotel... Continue reading »
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Private Tour of the Sistine Chapel
This was our last morning on our own for a while. The day started off rather wet -- not outside, but inside. As my eyes were closed sh... Continue reading »
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Vatican City and Surrounds
We decided that we needed to scale back on some of our expenses since we have pretty much blown our daily budget every single day in Ital... Continue reading »
Popular Rome Hotels
- Sofitel Rome Villa Borghese
- Diocleziano
- The St. Regis Grand Hotel Rome
- Fortyseven - A Summit Hotel
- Dei Consoli Hotel
- Albergo Del Senato
- Artemide Hotel
- The Duke Hotel
- Crosti
- Capo D'africa Hotel
