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SOCIAL

Top 10: Italy’s gay-friendly holiday destinations

Top 10: Italy’s gay-friendly holiday destinations
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Laid-back GALIPOLLI in Puglia tops the list. In recent years, the town has become a popular alternative to the party hotspots of Mykonos and Sitges, near Barcelona, offering pristine beaches by day and a lively bar and club scene by night. The beach at Sant’Andrea, a national park, and Makò beach, are among the favourite places to hang out.Photo: Patrick NouhaillerFlickr
TORRE DEL LAGO has been a gay mecca for almost 10 years, with one blogger on a Tuscany tourism site writing that he couldn’t believe such a gay-friendly place could exist in Italy. Often compared to Mykonos and Sitges, the beachside town provides plenty of bars, cafe and clubs. In 2004, Tuscany became the first region in Italy to ban discrimination against sexuality.Photo: Priscilla Bar, Torre Del Lago. Photo: Cea/Flickr
Sicily is even more religious than other parts of Italy, but that hasn’t stopped the hilltop coastal town of TAORMINA being ranked the third most gay-friendly place in Italy. Aside from the beach, Toarmina attracts visitors for its Roman and Greek ruins. Nightlife-wise, most bars and restaurants are said to be gay-friendly as well as hotels, especially the popular Isoco Guest House.Photo: Giacomocarena/Flickr
A little further along the Sicilian coast, we have the city of CATANIA, which is overlooked by Mount Etna. The gay community is drawn to the city’s plethora of bars, restaurants and beach clubs. Sicilians have become more open-minded in recent years, even electing their first openly-gay governor, Rosario Crocetta, in 2012.Photo: Heather/Flickr
The first major city to feature on the list is the  Italian capital of ROME. Gay Street, or Via San Giovanni in Laterano, a road behind the Colosseum, was formally designated Rome’s gay area in 2007. Each year, the city also hosts Gay Village, a summer-long festival of live music, sport, dance, theatre, film and other events at Parco del Ninfeo. Find out more here: http://www.gayvillage.it/Photo: TizianaFabi/AFP
The second major city to make the list is MILAN. The northern Italian city is home to an active and growing gay community, according to the website, www.gayhomestays.com, and has a relaxed and sociable gay scene. The city is also a hub for the fashion-conscious, who after a day’s shopping head to popular nightspots including After Line disco and Metro Club.Photo: AngeloAmboldi/Flickr
Often described as a “diamond in the rough”, NAPLES is considered the seventh most gay-friendly place in Italy and the most gay-tolerant city in southern mainland Italy. Capri, an island 45 minutes by boat from Naples, is also considered a safe-haven for the gay community.Photo: PugGirl/Flickr
BOLOGNA, also home to the headquarters of Arcigay, Italy’s main LGBT association, is considered to be one of the most tolerant and open-minded cities in Italy. The Cassero is the centre of the gay scene, and host of parties and festivals throughout the year.Photo: Bologna Gay Pride. Photo: KatieDametto/Flickr
Like Sicily, the island of SARDINIA is often considered to be traditionalist, but welcoming. In recent years, the gay community has flocked to the capital of Cagliari for stunning beaches, history, culture and nightlife. Two gay beaches – Cala Mosca and Mari Pintau – can be found there while there are several gay bars, clubs and hotels.Photo: GabrielGarciaMarengo/Flickr
Being the home of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, it’s no surprise that the fair city of VERONA makes the list. While the city is not exactly considered ‘wild’, once done with soaking up its history and culture, there are a number of gay bars for visitors to enjoy an aperitivo in, including Mada Café and ArtChocolate. Photo: Igor/Flickr


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