Florence Gay Travel Guide

About Florence and its gay life

Florence, David statue

Florence (Firenze), a centre of medieval trade and finance in Europe and long ruled by the Medici family, was the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance, represented by such names as Michelangelo, Botticelli, Leonardo da Vinci and Machiavelli. Florence is world-famous especially for its art and architecture and has been one of the most visited cities in 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 – 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 class and atmosphere at night without all the jewelry shacks and may be the perfect end of a romantic nightly 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 huge real estate prices within the city and the poor parking opportunities (most guys live in the area around Florence). The only bigger venue is the cruising club ›Fabrik‹ in Calenzano (15 km outside of Florence).

If you travel in the area around Florence check also our gay guides for Bologna and Pisa/Lucca.

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).

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