There is a lot of discussion about same-sex marriages in churches. Recently, Pope Francis has for the first time opened to the idea of legal recognition, though stopping short of proper marriage. Some protestant congregations have started opening their doors to LGBT people intending to marry, but we can be pretty sure that there appears to be a very long way to go before we see two guys or two ladies tie the knot in a Catholic church. 

And yet, not many know that gay marriages in Catholic churches did happen, in the very heart of Catholicism - in Rome, during the 16th century.

Not far from the beautiful Imperial Thermae of Caracalla is a small church near the Porta Latina. In the 16th century this area of the city, which is still within the old city walls, was almost uninhabited: amidst the crumbling ancient Roman ruins, immersed in vegetation that had colonised the once grandiose marble city, was (and still is) the church of St John (San Giovanni). Even this building, in itself very old as its construction dates back to the year 496 AD, was in a very dilapidated state at the time.

A French philosopher visiting Rome at the time, Michel de Montaigne in his travel journals tells us that in this very isolated and neglected location a community of Spanish and Portuguese people lived in a sort of commune - a "strange brotherhood". In fact, they married one another, male to male, during Mass, with the same ceremonies as ordinary weddings, the same gospel service, and then "went to bed and lived together".

The people involved in these rites obviously believed that by following the same procedures and the using the same gospel as the heterosexual marriages they would have gained the recognition and approval from God. It would have given them the legitimacy of a straight wedding. It also implies that a priest must have been officiating these proto-gay weddings.

Sadly, it did not end well. Though the area was forlorn and desolate, the authorities found out what was going on at St John's Church. A man whose name was Giuseppe, allegedly reported the queer commune and its outrageous rites to the Papal Guards.

On 20th July 1568, a sultry Roman summer day, a raid in the commune brought eleven people to face the inquisition, as reported by the Venetian ambassador Alessandro Tiepolo, who reported the trial to the Doge. After three weeks of hearings, on 13th August 1568 eight or nine of the men captured were sentenced to death and then burnt at the stake (likely in the Campo de' Fiori, where all these types of the executions were carried on), though it appears that a number of other men also part of the commune managed to escape.

Apart from the above and very scarce records of the actual inquisition trials we know very little of this bizarre episode. And it's a shame because it would have been pretty fascinating to know more about what really happened in this sexually free commune that seems to have anticipated the 'summer of love' by a few centuries… 

But we can still visit today this small church and reflect on how almost 450 years ago some brave couples walked the very same aisle, hoping for a recognition that, sadly, they did not receive.

Rome has several obelisks adorning squares and avenues. Many of them were shipped from Egypt by the Romans after conquering the land of the Nile. Others were actually sculpted by the Romans themselves, who were fascinated by Egyptian art. But there is one obelisk that has a peculiar story, one that tells us of a deep affection - some say love - between an emperor and a young man. The Pincio is the hill that rises behind the Spanish Steps and extends north. From the top of the Steps a pleasant walk leads to the beautiful belvedere and gardens overlooking the Piazza del Popolo, from which a fantastic view over the Eternal City and the Vatican can be enjoyed. At sunset this view is particularly glorious. Not far from this panoramic piazza lies the Obelisk of Antinous.

Antinous and Hadrian: friends or more?

Who was Antinous? We know that he was born in Bithynia (today's North West Turkey) to a wealthy Greek family in AD 110 and that he met with Roman Emperor Hadrian in June 123 AD. It is believed that after that date Antinous was sent to Rome to study. Meanwhile Hadrian settled in his new sumptuous villa in Tivoli, near Rome, in 125 AD and we know that at some point within the next three years Antinous became his 'personal favourite'. Hadrian became totally attached to Antinous; it was not uncommon for emperors and patricians in general to engage in sexual relationships with young men (Antinous would have been between 16 and 18 years old at this point). Even Hadrian's predecessor Trajan is known to have had such encounters - but Hadrian elevated this manly attachment to new levels. It is said that the two were inseparable and it is known that Hadrian wrote erotic poetry about his boy favourite, though unfortunately (and maybe quite predictably) none of these poems survived.

Unhappy ending

Sadly Hadrian and Antinous' story has a rather unhappy ending. The two toured the Empire extensively, however in October 130 AD while they were visiting Egypt, Antinous drowned in the River Nile. We don't know how this happened and whether this was an accident or something more sinister, but Hadrian was immensely devastated by the loss of his boy favourite. So much so that he immediately proclaimed Antinuos a divinity and decreed the construction of a city, Antinoopolis, on the site where he died. Hadrian also decided to have an obelisk cut in precious pink granite to commemorate his beloved boy Antinuos and it is now thought that this would have been destined for the Emperor's villa in Tivoli, where it is believed that the body of Antinous could have been laid to rest. We don't know what happened to the obelisk after having been sculpted and if it ever made it to Hadrian's Villa, but we know that in around 220 AD another Emperor (Heliogabalus) used it to adorn his own private gardens just outside the Porta Maggiore, in Rome. It was found there broken in three pieces in 1589. It lay sadly abandoned for many years in the Palazzo Barberini's gardens, then it was reassembled and adorned a courtyard in the Vatican for a few decades and then was finally moved in its current location in the Pincio Gardens in 1822 by Pope Pius VII. 

Hadrian and Antinous; some say it was just a deep friendship, what we'd call today 'bromance'. But was it? What if it was love, companionship, affection? What if the two were really besotted with each other? While we may never know for sure, it's actually quite nice to stop a minute in front of this obelisk and think of it as the ultimate tribute for a beloved partner.

Bologna is one of those cities that is often overlooked when planning Italian itineraries. Yet its medieval heart is one of the best preserved in Italy and the culinary heritage of the city is known around the world. It is also one of Italy's most gay-friendly cities and fiercely proud of the libertarian and free-minded culture of its residents. It is the home of the Cassero, the HQ of Italian's LGBT organisation Arcigay. The centre is an important political and cultural landmark for the gay community, both local and national.

Moreover, Bologna is the perfect destination for a weekend (it has a well-connected international airport) but it's also easily reachable by high-speed train from Florence (50 mins), Rome (2hrs, 15mins), Milan (1hr) or Venice (1hr, 15mins), making it an easy side-trip from these key Italian destinations.

Here's our must-do list for visitors to this fascinating city:

The Two Towers – A medieval New York!

The two towers of Bologna, called Garisenda (47 metres) and Asinelli (97 metres) are the traditional symbol of the city and were built in the 12^th century. Towers like these symbolised the social prestige of the families who built and owned them and in medieval times there were over 100 of them, competing in height, in a landscape that must have resembled a medieval New York. The Garisenda is also leaning and it has for a while: even Italy's celebrated poet Dante Alighieri mentions the tilt in his Divine Comedy, written in the 14^th century.

Make sure you don your comfy shoes and climb the 498 steps to the top of the Asinelli Tower for an amazing view over the city.

Walk under the Porticos

Bologna is also famous for its porticos. For many centuries they have sheltered the city's residents and visitors from the rain and the hot summer sun. The Bolognesi even built a portico that goes all the way from the city centre to the spectacular 18^th century church of San Luca, situated on a panoramic hill almost 4 Kilometres away. Curiously (or perhaps spookily) this portico has 666 arches.

Enjoy a caffé in Piazza Maggiore

Every Italian city has a central square around which the whole city revolves. Here is where people meet and watch other people go about their life. In Bologna this space is the Piazza Maggiore – or 'La Piazza' as they usually call it here, which is dominated by the Neptune fountain, a symbol of the city, and the medieval Basilica of Saint Petronio, which houses the largest sundial in the world. All the buildings around this square are magnificent medieval ornate buildings.

Bologna - The Fat!

Apart from its cultural vocation, Bologna is also known in Italy as 'La Grassa', 'The Fat'. The Bolognesi love their food; the city and its Emilia-Romagna region is possibly the Italian capital of good food. From Tortellini pasta to Mortadella, from several kinds of Salami to Prosciutto di Parma, from Parmigiano/Parmesan to the Piadina flatbreads, they all originate from this region of Italy. And then of course is Ragu, which abroad is referred to as Bolognese sauce. But never call it other than Ragú here or you will just meet confused looks among the locals!

Visit the Càssero

The history of the Cassero dates back to the late 1970s and early 1980s when political LGBT groups through a long campaign managed to receive recognition and a formal space by the local council administration, the first time such thing happened in Italy. Today the Cassero is the main LGBT cultural centre in Italy and has a huge programme of activities, debates, exhibitions, art performances and even club nights on Fridays and Saturdays. Check all the up-to-date listings at: www.cassero.it. 

Fall for a red-head 

The area around Bologna is also famous for being the home of two iconic car-makers. Just south of the neighbouring city of Modena, in the village of Maranello (which can be reached via Modena - by train in 30 mins - then shuttle bus from/to the railway station) is the also famous home of car-maker Ferrari. Here the Museo Ferrari focuses on the iconic car maker's present and future, whilst remaining deeply rooted in the Prancing Horse's extraordinary history with some exciting interactive exhibits. The more traditional-looking Lamborghini museum is located near the village of Sant'Agata (take the train to San Giovanni in Persiceto then bus 576 or a taxi). Here all the Lamborghini models are exhibited, detailing the fascinating history of this famous Italian brand. You can even have a peek onto the factory floor.

Who can resist the warm romance of Rome, its classic yet eternal elegance, the immense wealth of history and art treasures, its golden summer sunsets? And Naples, sitting in the shadow of ominous Mount Vesuvius, with its often chaotic but fascinating beauty, its warm and colourful people and the beautiful islands of Capri and Ischia just a short ferry journey away. The distance between the two cities is actually less than 250 kilometres and the journey can now be completed by high-speed train in little more than an hour. But whilst the rail journey is without doubt the fastest travel option available, an interesting alternative is to explore and discover the coastline between the two cities, especially the section that goes from Rome to the southernmost tip of the capital's region, Latium. Some of the lovely spots along this varied coastline are not in easy reach of a railway station (the main line between Rome and Naples mainly runs inland) and perhaps that's one of the reasons why these locations are still a bit overlooked by international tourism, though extremely popular among Italians, especially during the summer months. Some of them, especially the ones closer to Rome can also be treated as great ideas for day trips from the Capital, especially for those who like a bit of sun, sea & sand on the side.

Capocotta: Rome's gay beach

The beach of Capocotta has been for many years a firm favourite of the LGBT community – and it's arguably the first (and best) nudist beach close to Rome. It's located 5 kilometres south of the coastal town of Ostia, an easy drive if you have a car or moped, but if you're reliant on public transport then you need to take the local train to Ostia from the Rome Piramide/Ostiense station up to to the last stop and then continue on the '07 barrato' bus to the 'Porto di Enea / Oasi Naturista di Capocotta' stop. It's a bit of a hike, but the location is lovely, the sea water is probably the cleanest you can find so close to a large city and then behind the beach there is lots of 'movement' on the bushy dunes - for those who want a bit of action... Capocotta has been very popular since the 70s and still today is a huge draw for the local gays – come at the weekend and you'll find absolutely everyone here, with the beach divided in sub-sections: bears here, muscles there and so on. Pick your favourite spot. There are also a few kiosks along the beach which offer sunbeds and other facilities, including some quirky bars & very good restaurants (though the licences for these outlets are often questionable). But then again, it's Italy and it's all part of the charm. 

WWII history in Anzio 

The town of Anzio is not that interesting in itself – and the neighbouring town of Nettuno even less so. Grown on the back of the 'second homes' boom in the 60s and 70s, often not in a particularly gracious way, they do however boasts some good restaurants and shops. There are some nice beaches around, if you want to stop for a swim. But this stretch of coast was once the Malibu of Ancient Rome; everyone rich and famous inevitably had a sprawling villa here in those heady imperial times. Emperors Caligula and Nero were actually born here and the latter owned a stunning coastal mansion in Anzio, of which you can still see ruins along the seafront, together with the remains of an ancient port. And talking of the Port, this is where you can catch a ferry or hydrofoil to the Pontine Islands (see below). For those into history, this coastline and the countryside immediately behind Anzio and Nettuno were in early 1944 the theatre of violent and bloody battles between the Allied forces and the German forces – there are still a number of poignant war cemeteries scattered around to remind of this tragic history.

Island escapade in Ponza

Like tiny ants in the middle of the blue sea, these tiny islands, which have been inhabited since before the Phoenicians, over 3,000 years ago, are pretty much undiscovered gems to international tourism and yet they are incredibly beautiful, especially in early and late summer when they are not so busy with locals holidaying here. The largest island (Ponza) is also the most inhabited and here are some stunning beaches, some of them only reachable by boat. The most popular beach is Chiaia di Luna, which is reachable via an ancient Roman tunnel dug into the rock. The other stably populated island is Ventotene. The remoteness of these islands made them the ideal place to despatch anyone undesirable to the rulers of the time – it started with Emperor Augustus who exiled his daughter Julia here (for adultery and treason). The practice continued for centuries and ended with Mussolini who sent to these remote islands many of his political opponents - or in fact anyone he did not particularly like, which is what dictators always do.. Apart from Ponza and Ventotene, the other islands are inhabited and well established as protected nature & marine reserves. If you like diving and enjoying the Med at its finest, these islands are amazing. To get here there are ferries & hydrofoils from Anzio (2h and 1h10m respectively) and Formia (2h30m and 1h30m respectively) and ferries from Terracina (2h40m). During the summer season there are also links from San Felice, which incidentally is the shortest crossing (just 1 hour) to Ponza.

Discreet and upmarket: Sabaudia 

The town of Sabaudia is possibly one of few positive accomplishments of Benito Mussolini. That's because the whole flat area from Anzio, all the way south to the city of Terracina and inland to the foothills of the pre-Apennines was once a mosquito-infested marshland; the Romans first tried to drain the plains (with some success) but it was Mussolini who finally got the whole area sorted. And drew the town of Sabaudia from scratch in the middle of it all, near a lovely coastal lake, in the style of 'the ideal city' - as dictated by the Rationalist movement. The straight lines, the perfectly symmetrical perspectives, the constant recall to classical themes and the idea of order and discipline give an idea of why this type of architecture was so loved by both Mussolini and Hitler. If you want to have an idea of what this area looked like before the marshes were drained, just outside Sabaudia is a nature reserve (the whole area is a national park) where the land has been left exactly as it was – and where still wild boars and other animals roam freely. Also if in need of a dip, cross the bridge over the lake and you'll get to a seemingly infinite stretch of golden sand, which is absolutely beautiful and the water is sparkling clean. To the north of this point is a pretty gay-friendly stretch of coast, in fact quite 'busy' after the beach goers leave in the late summer afternoons and all day out of season. To the South you'll see plenty of gorgeous villas owned or rented by famous personalities. In fact VIPs have been coming here for some time: not far from Sabaudia are the ruins of the Villa of Emperor Diocletian and several other buildings, including some posh Roman baths & spas.

The Circeo: Greek mythology & natural beauty 

The huge isolated green mountains that rise at the edge of the Pontine flats and juts into the sea looks almost like an island – also this area is a national park. And probably because of this quite remarkable location, Homer sets here on Mount Circeo the story of Ulysses and his unlucky meeting with Circe the handsome but rather evil sorcerer, who transforms his mates into pigs before falling in (of course - unrequited) love with him. You may not find Circe's grotto as described in the Odyssey but there are plenty of marine caves all along the sea facing cliffs of Mount Circeo – and it was in one of them that in 1939 the remains of Neanderthal humans were found. Indeed, people have been living here for thousands and thousands of years and the picturesque town on San Felice has therefore a rich history. The older part of the village is half way up the mountain and the view from up there is simply stunning. On summer evenings the old town is abuzz with bars, restaurants and people walking around enjoying the breeze with a nice gelato. If you have time (and a car) head to the Semaforo, at 451 metres high above the sea, from where the view on a clear day stretches all the way from Rome to Mount Vesuvius and the Pontine Islands (but be careful of the steep drops!). Here you can see the remains of imposing walls that used to be part of an ancient city - no one knows exactly how old! 

Terracina: Roman heritage

In ancient times the town of Terracina (Tarracina) was an important landmark as here the route of the Appian Way (built in 317 BC) brings it closer to a narrow passage between the mountains and the sea – the Romans actually cut part of the cliff in half to allow for a more direct route towards the South. In fact, this settlement is even older and goes back to pre-Roman times. The modern town has a nice sea promenade and a few streets lined with shops and restaurants. The beach is OK but nothing special and it gets quite busy during the summer. The old town is a bit up the hill and it's definitely worth a visit; the Cathedral is actually a Roman temple, re-purposed in the 11th Century. There are other Roman ruins, including part of a theatre and even a section of the Appian Way still with its original paving stones, if you fancy walking on some very old cobbles. Above the town sits a most spectacular Roman temple, dedicated to Jupiter (Tempio di Giove Anxur). Today only the terrace on which the temple was built remains, though the view is still as stunning as 2000 years ago and it's worth the hike up here – however there is no public transport so you need a car or hire a taxi from the town. During the summer months (July & August) there is a son-et-lumiere show every night called Lumina

White town: Sperlonga 

Terracina was until 1860 the southernmost city in the Papal State. From this point South stood the vast Kingdom of Naples, so there is a marked change of scenery from here on. Even the local dialect changes completely and starts to morph into the Neapolitan one. The picturesque village of Sperlonga with its pastel and white coloured old houses, is perched on a small rocky peninsula that juts into the sea and it really embodies this change of landscape and culture. There are no cars allowed in the old town, so the tiny steep alleys and the village piazza are lovely for leisurely strolls on late afternoons and evenings during the summer, taking advantage of the many bars, fashion shops and cafes dotted around. And every now and again the buildings spectacularly part to reveal gorgeous and sudden views of the sea. Sperlonga sunsets are truly remarkable and the coast beyond the village is absolutely stunning. Roman Emperor Tiberius had a villa here, whose imposing ruins are still visible. And yet many people don't know that this old fishermen's village has a troubled history; this stretch of coast was in the past one of the most threatened by pirates who several times raided the village and enslaved its unlucky inhabitants. In fact, Sperlonga was set ablaze and destroyed by Ottoman pirates twice - in 1534 and 1622. Between Sperlonga and Gaeta is one of the region's most known gay beaches – Trecento Scalini (literally – 300 Steps, though we've counted 308 to be precise, so be prepared for a bit of exercise…) which is between the 24th and 25th kilometre of the Sperlonga to Gaeta main highway.

A taste of the Neapolitan coast in Gaeta 

Gaeta is a larger coastal town and a very pleasant stop. It is centred around the promontory formed by a round hill (Monte Orlando) and boasts some gorgeous beaches, like Sérapo with its pale white sand, but also plenty to see in terms of art and architecture. There is also an imposing fortress that overlooks the town and is said to have been originally erected in the 6th or 7th Century. This castle was actually used as a (rather spectacular) prison for former Nazi criminals until a few decades ago. The view from the Monte Orlando and its lovely park is quite amazing. In fact one of the Roman city's most illustrious and wealthy citizens, Lucius Munatius Plancus had his funeral mausoleum built here, so to enjoy such view for eternity. Although there is some uncertainty around this, another famous son of Gaeta is probably Giovanni Caboto (a.k.a. John Cabot) who in 1497 is credited with the 'discovery' of parts of North America under the commission of King Henry VII of England and is commonly held to have been the first European to set foot there since the Vikings much earlier on. Another must-see attraction in Gaeta is the Montagna Spaccata (the Split Mountain), which is a dramatic crack in the sea cliff to the south of Monte Orlando. It is a pilgrimage area, because legend has it that the cliffs cracked and parted when Jesus died on the cross. But we tend to believe the cliff has been split for some time before that and look at the natural beauty of the place instead.

Turin, the capital of the Piedmont region in the northwestern corner of Italy, has enjoyed a brief moment basking in the international spotlight when it hosted the winter Olympics in 2006. But as often happens with these large events, the glory dims almost as quickly as the ritual flame is extinguished and the circus moves on. As the weeds grow on the olympic stadia, one wonders what was all the fuss about…

And yet, Turin is a city that has given the world a lot more than a bit of Olympic glamour and glory. Ever heard of Fiat cars, Nutella and Ferrero chocolate? Martini and Cinzano? Lavazza coffee? Eataly? And I could go on… All these things and many more, all come from this busy city and its region. So perhaps it's really time to give Turin another look. Which is what I did with my husband this winter when we travelled to the Piedmontese capital for a few brilliant days discovering the city.

But why is Turin so captivating, you may wonder?

It's got an amazing history

Although as a geographical and cultural concept, Italy has had an identity for many centuries, politically it's a different story; as a country it has only come together little more than 150 years ago. Turin was Italy's very first capital, from 1861 to 1865, after which the title went briefly to Florence and then Rome from 1871.

The royal dynasty that brought the Italian nation together, the Savoy, have also been responsible for turning Turin into a rich and important city from the 1500s onward. That's because despite its ancient Roman origins (its name was Augusta Taurinorum - hence the Taurine name), the city remained quite in the backwaters until the unflappable Duke Emanuele Filbert (aptly nicknamed 'Iron Head') decided to move the capital of the Duchy of Savoy from the French city of Chambery to the other side of the Alps, to Turin, in 1563.

With the status of capital the city became more and more important as the Duchy itself added (or 'grabbed' perhaps more accurately) additional land to its rule. It later became a proper fully fledged kingdom and in the 18th century the city was totally re-designed with a grid-like structure, ample streets, long and elegant porticoes and large, majestic squares, to befit its new role in Europe.

Today, Turin maintains its regimented elegance, style and flair. Walking through its centre you will feel a certain Parisian flavour, a definite Viennese class, with an austere and functional touch which is possibly a most enduring trademark of the Piedmontese people. 

A city of reinvention

Turin is still today one of the industrial powerhouses of Italy, but it was in the 1950s and 1960s that the city grew exponentially with thousands and thousands of immigrants descending from trains every single day at its grandiose Porta Nuova Station, leaving the poorer regions of the South to work in the Torinese factories. Turin is very much a city of immigrants, built and made rich by immigrants and with a heightened sense of respect for diversity, even in these days of hardened attitudes towards migrants. Migrants that today come from other regions of the world, of course.

As times changed, some industries moved away, but Turin managed to reinvent itself, converting many old factories in new and trendy spaces, where new skills and talents are explored. We visited a couple of these spaces during our journey - such as an old tannery that now house among other things a brilliant apprenticeship school, where young people develop great skills, from beer making to haute cuisine. Or a disused electric cables factory that is now being turned into an innovation centre.

Architecturally delightful

The grid-line structure the Savoy imprinted on the city make Turin an easy city to walk around, even when it rains, with its long porticoes. Towering above the city is the huge 167 metre high spire of the Mole Antonelliana, whose history is quite curious. In fact the spire was not in the original plans of this building which was designed to be a Synagogue in 1862. However, due to disagreements between the Jewish community and the architect Alessandro Antonelli, the former decided not to progress with the project. Faced with a half-built work, the Council picked up the tab and the work completed in 1889. Today the Mole houses the Cinema Museum, but its most quirky reason to visit is to ascend to the lantern via a glass elevator, rising in the middle of the dome, though I'd probably say that this might sound like a nightmare to a vertigo sufferer!

The city's architecture is reflected in the beautiful buildings, such as the Savoia Royal Palace, Palazzo Madama and Palazzo Carignano. Just outside the city is the huge Venaria Palace, which was originally the Savoia's hunting lodge. Perhaps unbelievably, this UNESCO listed residence lay almost forgotten for decades, but now it has been returned to its original Baroque splendour.

And also just outside the city centre is the stunning Superga Basilica, which apart from being in itself a superb work of art, is also positioned on a hill from which a great view of Turin can be enjoyed on those (rare) clear days - Turin is known for its haze and fog, especially in winter. Another great place to enjoy a bird's eye view of the city with the snowcapped mountains in the background is the Cappuccini Hill, just on the other side of the Po River, which offers stunning views across the city.

Discover incredible museums

You may have been to many museums around the world and surely you have seen a few mummies and sarcophagi there. You may even think that most Egyptian art outside of Egypt is stored at the Louvre or at the British Museum. But you may not know that the most important Egyptian museum in the world after the one in Cairo is actually in Turin! Yet another creation of the Savoy dynasty, the stunning Museo Egizio has been given a complete makeover in 2015 and so it's now grander and more spectacular than ever. If it's not the size of the collection (30,000 items) to speak of its importance, it's the variety that is really without compare; here you will find the whole history of ancient Egypt represented, from the very beginnings till Cleopatra. We stood in complete awe in front of the display of the funeral collection of Pharaoh's architect Kha and his wife Merit; these objects included original clothes in stunning condition, recognisable foods and even an incredibly preserved wig. It felt unreal to think that all these items were almost 3,500 years old! I am not exaggerating when I say that the Museo Egizio alone is a great reason to visit Turin…

And to think that the Savoy's passion for Egypt started with a mistake: in 1630 King Carlo Emanuele became fascinated by an object - a marble altar table - that he thought was from ancient Egypt. He was so enthralled by this artefact that he sent an envoy to Africa to buy more of the same antiquities - those that now form the nucleus of the museum's collection. What the king did not imagine is that the much revered altar table was actually a Roman imitation. Nice - yes, but not Egyptian… Oops… 

Florence's opulence and splendour during the Renaissance gave its inhabitants a relatively relaxed and comfortable lifestyle. Artists from all over Italy and beyond came to work in the city, trade and commerce prospered, writers and poets established themselves here. What many people don't know is that Florence at the time was also pretty relaxed around the issue of the homosexuality of its citizens, at least for those days! 

And this was not just common knowledge in Florence itself, but well beyond its walls: the Germans called 'florenzer' (Florentine) anyone who indulged in homosexual behaviours and the French called sodomy 'le vice florentin'. The Genoese even had a law preventing teachers from Florence to work in the Ligurian republic for fear that they might be sodomites and therefore prey on their young students. Not that sodomy was legal in Florence at the time: in fact there were laws punishing anyone indulging in it, but more often than not justice was pretty lenient and punishments were mostly fines, frequently condoned or reduced - and often never paid at all. This at a time when elsewhere in Italy and beyond the main punishment for sodomy was death (often by burning at the stake).

Why was Florence so tolerant? 

The reasons for this benign acceptance of homosexuality is to be found in the very spirit of the Renaissance, a movement that found in Florence its centre because of the ruling Medici family - especially Cosimo (1434-1464), Piero I (1464-1469) and in particular Lorenzo, known as The Magnificent (1469-1492) - all of whom were lovers of the arts, of classical beauty and firm believers in the centrality of the human knowledge.

But of course the Church was in the forefront of the repression of what they called 'the innominable sin'. A very famous preacher of the time, Bernardino da Siena used to admonish the locals in 1427 that it was a lot riskier for young males than for young ladies to walk around the city at night, due to the large numbers of homosexual men on the prowl. The same Bernardino as well as many other 'defenders of the moral order' believed that the disastrous floods of 1333, plus the frequent epidemics of plague (also known as the 'Black Death') were all a divine punishment for the city's failure to tackle the issue and called for all the sodomites to be burnt at the stake. Despite being such a hateful and divisive character, after his death Bernardino was promptly made saint, in 1450.

Moral Crusades

The call for stringent rules against sodomy caused the institution of the 'Night Officers' in 1432 - what we'd call today a 'vice squad'. Among the most famous victims of the guards were Leonardo da Vinci, the painter Botticelli and sculptor and goldsmith Benvenuto Cellini. But again, penalties for the many convicted (17,000 reported cases of sodomy in 70 years) were comparatively benign, especially for those in the know. The 'gay mafia' operated even in those days! Or more realistically the Medici family knew pretty well that in order to keep the artists flowing in and the city's international reputation shining they had to close one eye to the sexual inclinations of their citizens, especially those with an artistic inclination. Besides, the Medici themselves weren't completely above board themselves: it is rumoured that a few of them were gay.

Of course Bernardino da Siena was not the last hateful and revengeful Christians pervaded by the holy fire of moralisation. In 1494 Girolamo Savonarola, a Dominican friar and preacher started his 'purification and cleansing campaign' in Florence against the Medici ruling family and the Tuscan city's loose morals. Unsurprisingly, eliminating sodomy was top of the to-do list. When the French King Charles VIII invaded Italy, Savonarola incited the city to rebel and kick the Medici out, establishing a new republic. But then he went a step too far, refusing to accept the Pope's rule and continuing to preach his extreme views (and keeping the 'purifying bonfires' alight on which hundreds of 'sinners' perished). The Pope, also conscious of the potential spread of the dangerous religious fervour of Savonarola, promptly proceeded to excommunicate him. But it did not take long for the Florentines as well to get tired of the mystical preacher: in May 1498 they hanged and burned him and two of his close followers. It is said that the fire under the pyre was actually started by a sodomite. Oh, the irony!

A primordial 'Stonewall Moment'

After the end of Savonarola's period a relative calm and tolerance returned to Florence. However on the morning of 13 August 1512 a group of thirty aristocratic men who called themselves 'Compagnacci' (literally 'the bad guys') broke into the government palace to ask that the authorities pardoned the sodomites who had been exiled or had lost their jobs because of their convictions. Can we perhaps call this a pre-Stonewall moment? A few weeks later the Medici family, supported by the Spaniards were re-installed in Florence. The Medici duly accepted the Compagnacci's requests and it was back to business as usual.

Walking around Florence there are plenty of reminders of how the city was a relatively tolerant harbour for gays in the Renaissance. Just pop into the Uffizi or the Accademia and there you will find countless statues with a clear homoerotic undertone and paintings with plenty of naked male flesh on display. It is undeniable that gay artists did put 'passion' in their work, as much as they were possibly allowed to get away with. But who were the gays in Renaissance Florence? Where would they meet and how did they live?

La Osteria del Buco

Who said that gay bars are a modern invention? In the small alleyway of Chiasso del Buco, a stone's throw from the Ponte Vecchio there used to be a small taverna, which was a known meeting place for homosexuals in the 1400s. In fact so famous that its colourful clientele was mentioned in satyrical poems of the time and even by Florentine ruler Lorenzo de' Medici.

The tale of Brunetto Latini

Who was Brunetto Latini? Well, he was a writer, poet and also Dante Alighieri's teacher. But he was also known for having a predilection for guys and because of that Dante himself decided to feature his former mentor in his masterpiece The Divine Comedy - obviously in eternal damnation. Still the admiration for Brunetto is enough to make Dante pretty sorry for his unlucky fate. His tomb was lost for many centuries but was then rediscovered in the Santa Maria Maggiore church and is today marked by a small column.

The Sant' Ambrogio's busy nightlife

As we saw earlier there were some taverns where people could meet, but in Renaissance Florence there were also areas where the locals could go to find the company of men – we'd say cruising areas today... One such area was the neighbourhood around Sant' Ambrogio church and we know about this from Machiavelli: the famous writer, philosopher and politician mentions this in a pretty explicit letter about a friend, Giuliano Brancacci, detailing his night-time escapades in search for 'uccelli' (birds, in Italian still to this day a metaphor for dicks).

Benvenuto Cellini – A man of many talents (and tastes)

Multi-talented sculptor, goldsmith and painter Cellini was what we would call a 'pansexual' these days – he liked both guys and girls and he was a pretty 'active' sort of guy: in other words, he kept pretty busy with his apprentices and models (of both sexes). He ended up being accused or charged of sodomy several times, once with a woman and at least three times with men. These were not the only times he had trouble with justice – from affray to murder: he was a pretty fiery man! But being a favourite with the authorities helped: his punishments were on the light side. He was buried with great pomp in the Santissima Annunziata Church upon his death in 1571.

Two (unlucky) lovers

A few minutes walk north from the Duomo and close to the Giardino de' Semplici, the Museum of San Marco used to be a convent. Here in 1933 the tomb of famous philosopher Pico della Mirandola was found, next to those of another man, humanist Girolamo Beniveni. Pico died in 1494 aged only 31 and his lover Girolamo died almost 50 years later, aged 89. And despite such a long time had passed in between, Girolamo wanted to be buried with Pico. That in itself tells a lot about the intense love bond between the two, The epitaph (above image) tells us about their affection without too much subterfuge. And to confirm the matter is friar Savonarola himself who knew and was a friend of Pico: upon his death he remarked that 'Pico couldn't have gone straight to heaven but was destined to spend some time in Purgatory cleansing for his sins... '

I have a picture of my grandparents posing for a photo in Florence's Piazzale Michelangelo, in the late 1930s, when they visited during their honeymoon. The breath-taking panorama of the Tuscan city is pretty much the same today as it was then. There you see in the background the trademarks of Florence: Duomo's enormous cupola, Giotto's bell tower and the Palazzo della Signoria.

What hits you most about this very yellowed old photo is that there is absolutely no one around them on the spectacular viewpoint. No other tourists, no selfie-stick sellers, no souvenir stalls. It's just them and the stunning panorama. That's pretty different from the experience many people have of the city of Florence today. In the age of mass tourism this relatively small city is a magnet for what in Italian we call 'turismo mordi e fuggi' - literally 'bite and rush tourism'. In the months that span from April to September the city is almost taken over by tourists, often staying just a day or two and trying to cram in as much as possible - and there is an awful lot of stuff to see in Florence! The main museums like the Uffizi or the Accademia can often look like stadia, with crowds more akin to a football match than a cultural event.

I understand that many people have limited leisure time to travel and especially when they come from afar, they want to be able to see as much as possible in the time they have available. However I've always questioned the idea of 'checkbox tourism', that is the behaviour of the uber-rushed visitor who goes around with a metaphorical (or perhaps real) checklist of supposedly must-do sights, just in order to say that he/she has seen them - and naturally posts enough pictures and status updates on Facebook, for the questionable delight of people and friends at home. Once home, apart from a plethora of images and vague impressions, there is not much else to treasure.

We can't go back to my nonni's time and experience Florence (or any other city) like they would have done in their pre-WWII days. Mass tourism is here to stay and for an historical city like the Tuscan capital it also brings money and employment. The fact that more people have a chance to personally see the art treasures of the Renaissance, rather than just imagining them or seeing them in photos is indeed welcome. However it's also possible to ensure that a visit to Florence is not a tick box exercise, but a true appreciation of the city and its history.

Here are my tips to make a visit to Florence a really memorable one.

Museums without the hassle

Most museums these days allow you to book your visit in advance. I definitely recommend doing so, even in off season. If you want to then enjoy the museums without the crowds choose the early morning times - i.e. entrance between 8:30-9:30am. That's true: you will need to have an early breakfast, but seeing masterpieces like Botticelli's Venus without oceanic crowds is a price worth paying. 

However beware of scam ticket sites, i.e. web pages that may look as the official outlets for tickets for a certain museum but are in reality agencies that levy hefty commission on tickets. If you book tickets through the official sites (and beware because some sites look very 'official' though they are not!) you will avoid paying such unnecessary fees.

The joys of visiting off-season

One of the best ways of doing so is to visit Florence off season, if possible. My husband and I went in mid-February and enjoyed queue-free museums for a start. And once inside we didn't have to fight for a glimpse of the main 'attractions'. In fact, we even managed to see Michelangelo's David at the Accademia with hardly any other tourists around. Try that in the summer months and you will be struggling to get a picture without someone's selfie stick in the shot.

The months between December and February can of course be a bit tricky - being winter it may be chilly and occasionally even wet. But it still escapes me why anyone would prefer the scalding July and August sun, with temperatures close to 40 degrees and humidity that drives you insane, to a bit of a morning chill in winter. 

Restaurants with character

The choice of restaurants in Florence is endless - there is even a branch of the Hard Rock Cafe, though I am not quite sure why anyone would want an American-style burger & fries in the land of Fiorentina-style steaks. One of the advantages of visiting in low season is that you can get in anywhere without too much hassle - you usually enjoy the benefits of landing a table in any restaurant you like with hardly any effort. And receive better service too! Whether high or low season, try venturing a bit out of the main (central) tourist area: not that you can't find good restaurants there, but if you want a more 'local' feel you may need to walk a bit further. For instance try the lanes and the squares around Santo Spirito. which is on the left bank of the river, just 15-20 minutes walk from Ponte Vecchio. This is where the locals also seem to go, which is always a good indicator! 

Caffè (or drinks) time!

Who said that the history of a city is only to be found in museums and churches? How about cafes? Often rushed tourists walk in front of them without knowing how much their history is intertwined with the city's. A key location here is the elegant Piazza della Repubblica, where you will find three establishments definitely worth visiting. One of them is Giubbe Rosse, founded in 1896, and so called because of the red jackets worn by the staff. The funny thing is that it was actually called Reininghaus, after its German owners, but people could not pronounce their surnames, hence the change to Giubbe Rosse. In the early 1900s the Futurist movement blossomed right here; it played a very important role in the history of Italian culture as a workshop of ideas, projects, and passion.

Opposite Giubbe Rosse is Caffè Concerto Paszkowski, which opened in 1846 as a brewery but it soon became a café where a famous all-female orchestra performed, something quite rare for the time. Again, this café-brasserie soon became a meeting place of the leaders of literature and art of the early 1900s. In 1991 it was declared a national monument.

And finally, also in the Piazza della Repubblica is the ornate Caffè Gilli, frequented by artists and intellectuals for at least a century. Gilli is a café in the Belle Époque style with ivory-coloured walls, Murano glass chandeliers, painted ceilings and arches confirming the good taste and the warmth of the Florentines. Many photographs of international artists are immortalised within its halls.

If you fancy a classy drink, then you may want to head for the Caffè Giacosa, in via della Spada, which has celebrated its 200th anniversary a couple of years ago. The cafe has been given a makeover by designer Roberto Cavalli, whose HQ is adjacent. Apart from the plush interiors in true Cavalli style (which one may like or not), this place's claim to fame is that the Negroni cocktail was invented right here, at this very bar, in 1920. 

Scratch beneath the surface of the city

Any visitor to Florence soon realises that there are so many things to see and do in the city that it's difficult not to feel rushed. But if the say 'quality above quantity' is to be followed, then my suggestion is to also set some time aside to savour the city by delving into its history and its less-known facts. And Florence has an incredibly rich past indeed! In fact, when it comes to LGBT history, the city has a rather… let's say 'colourful' past. And this probably is not so surprising: how could a city that's been home to so many artists and intellectuals not have an interesting homosexual tinge? While we know of famous gay artists like Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci, there is actually an awfully lot more to discover in this city, which for a while during the Renaissance became a bit of a haven for homosexual men, where sex of all kinds was readily available. You will find that there's a lot of queer culture in every corner of the city, even the most unexpected!

Florence is one of those places that capture everyone's imagination. It's not an hyperbole to say that this relatively compact city holds more art treasures per square metre than any other in the world, so it's unsurprising that it is so popular. My advice to any visitor to Florence is to not be overwhelmed by its offering: pace yourself, organise your days to avoid the worst crowds and do ensure that you spend some time doing what the Florentines do - so to enjoy a bit of their everyday life in their beautiful city. Seeing the city as part of an organised tour is a great way to get more than a superficial experience. And be sure to make the time to stop, stare and just simply wonder…

When to visit

Discover and enjoy...

• 

  Unmissable Rome

  Where to start here? Dive into the classical splendour of the Forum,the Pantheon and the imposing  Colosseum.Then dive into the architectural masterpieces that is St Peter's, before losing yourself in the mindblowing Vatican Museumsand the Sistine Chapel. Wander through the narrow streets of the centre and find jewels like Piazza Navona, the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps. Hike up the stairs of the original and very first Capitol Hill and visit the riches of the Capitoline Museums.

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  The extravagance of Nero

  Emperor Nero is said to be fiddling while Rome was burning and that might or might not be true. What is definitely certain is that Nero's imperial residence bears the signs of his extravagant tastes. His Domus Aurea (house of gold, literally) stood near the Colossuem, which in fact was built later on a private lake that Nero had in his extensive gardens. Successive emperors tried to erase any memory of Nero, but the ruins of his palace are still visible underground and show a residence which had among its features, pools with hot thermal waters, a revolving dining room, gold and precious stones mosaics and gigantic statues depcting the emperor himself.

  Find out more

• 

  Jewish Rome

  The Jewish community of Rome is the oldest in the world outside of the Middle East, with a continuous existence from classical times down to the present day. In 1555, Pope Paul IV established that all the Roman Jews could only live in the Ghetto, a walled quarter with gates locked at night. The Ghetto, along the river and behind the Teatro Marcello, was unsalubrious and there were all sorts of restrictions for its residents. Today, the area is still  the spiritual heart of the Jewish community in Rome, with its imposing sinagogue and the many restaurants and taverns where you can taste some of the autenthic specialities of the city, like Carciofi alla giudía (Jewish-style artichokes).

  Find out more

• 

  Ostia - The forgotten city

  In Roman times, the eternal city had more than a million inhabitants and so to feed such a large population there had to be a huge port servicing the city. That was the reason why Ostia became such an important city. Situated along the cost, about 20 Km west of Rome, it was where the shipping companies' offices and warehouse were, plus the residence for the merchants and all of those who worked in the docks. It reached a population of 100,000 in imperial times. With the decline of the empire, the city was abandoned and covered by vegetation. Excavated in the 20th century, today we can admire the splendour of this ancient city, sit in the Theatre (which is still used for summer shows) and wonder at the mosaics of the once lavish shops, houses and public squares.

• 

  A question of thickness

  Pizza may have been invented in Naples - and in fact the Neapolitan Pizza is a UNESCO intangible cultural asset, but in Rome - just 220 Km north, it's all another story. Here in the Eternal City your typical round pizza will be served to you with the thinnest of bases and a crisp edge. The Pizza Romana's secret is the higher content of olive oil, which makes the crust crunchy. 

  Romans also like to eat their pizza 'on the go' and that's why in many bakeries, you can buy 'pizza al taglio' - slices of focaccia-like pizzas baked in large trays. They come with the most amazing topping or just plain, with olive oil and salt sprinked on top. This type of pizza is much thicker and that is due to the double rise of the dough, the second directly in the baking tray.

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  An Emperor and his male lover

  The Villa Adriana was the magnificent country residence of the Roman Emperor Hadrian at Tivoli, near Rome. Its imposing ruins are simply stunning and a testimony of the power and ingenuity of Imperial Rome. 

  However, they also offer a glimpse on the private life of Hadrian, who was deeply in love with a young guy from modern-day northern Turkey - named Antinous. When Antinous drowned in the Nile under mysterious circumstances, Hadrian elevated him to a god and built a whole area in his lover's honour in his summer villa. This particular area was only discovered 25 years ago and it is said to be centered around the tumb of Antinous himself. Here was also the obelisk dedicated to him, that was later moved to the Pincio Hill (see here)

  Find out more

• 

  Night Time Rome

  Especially in the summer months, Rome gets lively at night, with locals and tourists enjoying bars and restaurants. Trastevere has been a favourite for many years, with its countless local taverns and quirky bars along the narrow and picturesque vicoli. During the hot summer nights, their terraces provide a welcome respite from the heat. However, another area that it totally up and coming and less touristy is the Testaccio district, where you will also find a lot of clubs and this is where the locals go for a drink and a dance. Finally, if you want more LGBTQI+ friendly places, head for the Via San Giovanni in Laterano - right next to the Colosseum, where you will find historical gay bars like the 'Coming Out'.

• 

  A day at the beach

  During the summer months Rome is often unbearably hot. Thankfully, the sea is not so far away and the one beach that is truly LGBTQI+ friendly is the Naturist Oasis of Capocotta. This stretch of sand, backed by some often busy bushes, has a long queer history since the 1970s, but only in 2000 it was offcially declared a naturist oasis. It's a precious section of the coast that has been spared from the savage urbanization of the 60s and 70s, but as a result it's a relatively remote location and getting here isn't easy unless you have a car or bike. If you don't, you will need to take the Metromare train from Porta San Paolo to Cristoforo Colombo station and then board the 07 bus, which only comes once an hour, so it's best checking the schedules.

Gallery

Planes, trains and automobiles...

Useful links

• ADR - Rome's Airports Official Website

• ATAC - Bus & Metro 

• Trenitalia - Italian Railways

The Scene

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  Colosseum

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  Roman Forum

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  Pantheon

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  Vatican City

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  Trasteverre

• 41.8981644,12.5019787

  Company bar

Related stories

La Fontana della Terrina  

I am sure that at least once we have all found ourselves in the centre of a major city, in the middle of the summer, the tarmac melting under our feet and the searing heat radiating from the buildings wondering why the hell we didn't choose a better time to visit... And indeed summer is not really the best time to visit cities, but thankfully many cities boasts blissful oases where visitors and locals alike can swim and relax - and why not, socialise! Here's our pick of the best.

Rome – Capocotta 

Visiting the Forum and the Colosseum is a must when in Rome, but in the height of the summer you could roast a steak on those ancient rocks, so what to do to get some respite? The good news is that the Eternal City is close to the sea and to a great gay beach – the bad news is that it's not so easy to get there. 

But let's start with the good news: Capocotta Beach, affectionately named 'il buco' because in the early 1970s the first users of this long stretch of coast could only get there via a hole (buco) in the perimeter fence, is to the south of the coastal town of Ostia Lido. In 2000 it was officially recognised as the first nudist beach in Italy and is a wide stretch of sand bordered by dune formations, covered by some shrubs. In parts the vegetation is thick enough to provide shelter (and opportunities for cruising, of course). Being quite a distance from urban areas, the sea is quite clean and in fact there is a marine reserve just about 5 kilometres offshore. There are some seasonal kiosks providing refreshments and also facilities like sunbeds, but we recommend to bring some food and drinks as at the time of writing some of these kiosks are under threat of demolition by the authorities. 

The gay beach is accessed via the 8th Cancello (Gate), which is also the furthest one. Recently the beach has become so popular that there are now unofficial areas for different 'gay tribes' – so you will encounter the bears in one section, the muscle boys in another, and so on and so forth. You can of course sit wherever you like! Just choose your fancy… Now the bad news – Capocotta beach is not so easy to get to. You will need to take the train to Ostia from the Ostiense Station (connecting with the B line of the metro), alight at Lido Centro and then take the bus (line 061) to the 8th Cancello. If you have a car of course it is a lot easier: you can park along the main road.

London - The ponds at Hampstead Heath

London doesn't have a reputation for getting scalding hot in the summer, but when it does it's pretty much unbearable. The Thames' greeny-grey hue does not look like an inviting swim and Brighton is a pretty long hike – so where to go for a refreshing swim?

Hampstead Heath is famous as a cruising ground, but the Men's Pond is nowhere near the cruising area – it's actually right on the other side of the vast parkland. There are actually several ponds, of which three are for swimming but the men's pond is the second from the South. 

The water in the ponds is crystal clear as it is fed from natural springs underneath the park (in fact the ones from which the historical and now hidden River Fleet originates), but for this very reason it is also pretty chilly, even on the most searing hot day. You are able to swim here every day, even in winter, though we wouldn't recommend it unless you're a penguin. There is a charge to enter the pond area, between £2.10 and £3.50 depending on the time/season. Or you can get a day-ticket for less than £7. 

Around the swim area are some pleasant lawns (these are outside the swim area so they are free to access) and on a warm day it feels like the whole of gay London comes here to picnic. To get to Hampstead Men's Pond the nearest station is Gospel Oak on the Overground – from there is about 400 mts walk. Or alternatively the nearest underground station is Tufnell Park, on the Northern Line and then it's about 600-700 mts walk from there.

Madrid - Lago

The Spanish capital often stays in the high 30s or low 40s (that's over 100F for our US readers) for most of the summer months. Positively roasting – not even a gallon of iced sangria would be enough to refresh (and we wouldn't recommend that anyway!). 

But in these positively scalding temps it's good to know that even in Madrid there are opportunities for socialising and having fun by the water. And only a few minutes from the city centre. The Piscina de Lago (or more correctly Centro Deportivo Municipal Casa de Campo) comprises several pools, including one that is 50 square metres. The pools are surrounded by nice lawns to sunbathe and of course socialise with the neighbours. There is obviously a mixed crowd but there is a 'gay enclave' at the top of the complex – it won't take long to find it: just follow the hot boys… 

In the summer the pools are really busy, especially at weekends so if you want to avoid the queue and more importantly find a spot to lay your towel try to arrive early, i.e. before lunchtime. The pool becomes astonishingly (and probably very predictably) busy on the week of Madrid Pride in early July – but it's a great place to hang out pre-parade/pre-party. 

The pool is open from late May till September and the entry charge is very reasonable (about €6). You can buy drinks (including alcohol), snacks and food inside the complex. There are of course changing facilities, showers, etc. To get to the Piscina de Lago is really easy – just get the metro line 10 towards Puerta del Sur and alight at Lago (it's only two stops from Plaza de Espaňa).

Barcelona - Platja de la Mar Bella

Being a coastal city with miles and miles of sandy shores, Barcelona offers a perfect blend of culture, entertainment and beach fun. The beach of Mar Bella was actually created during the redevelopment of the seafront in the early 1990s (before then it was a rather dismal industrial site) and since then it has become a favourite with the gay community, also because the beach has also a clothing-optional policy. Some people bare it all, some others don't – take your pick. 

The beach is not as wide as Barceloneta further south and it gets very busy at weekends, but it's a must over the summer months and the local chiringuito BeGay is a great spot to watch the world (and especially the hot men) go by, have a tasty snack as well as a drink or two. The chiringuito is open until late and there are often evening parties in the summer season – check theire website for details. 

There are also some activities i.e. kayaking, wind-surfing and skate boarding around. Despite not being in the very centre of Barcelona, the Mar Bella Beach is easily reachable by metro – linea 4 – and from the station of Poble Nou it's just about ten mins walk.

Berlin - Wannsee

Berlin summers can be hot as well. But fear not: the city is literally awash with opportunities for a refreshing swim and we are sure we won't surprise anyone in saying that the locals aren't shy and have no issues in skinny dipping.

It's a bit of a trek to reach the Strandbad Wannsee but it's possibly the closest you'd get to an ocean beach in landlocked Berlin – they even went to the length of shipping sand from the Baltic Sea to add to the marine feel. The area has been popular for over 100 years and the facilities have been recently renovated. The Wannsee itself is beautiful and back at the time of the Wall it was the only main lake within the West so it has some historical significance. The complex is actually huge – the sand stretches for over a kilometre and on busy days the Lido can accommodate up to 30,000 bathers, so it can get quite cosy on the sand! There is a nudist area and within it the gay section: as you enter the Lido turn right, walk past the FKK (nudist) section and then is the gay 'enclave'. Entry to the Strandbad is €8.

In terms of food & drinks, there are opportunities to buy some there, but it seems that most Berliners bring their own stuff and have a picnic. To reach the Strandbad you can take the S-Bahn lines S1 or S7 to Nikolassee (not Wannsee) and then it's about 10-15 mins walk from there.

In the 19th century attitudes towards gay people were generally hostile; homosexual behaviours - especially male on male - were usually sanctioned by law in many countries. However there was a steep divide between some northern European countries where homosexuality was severely punished with years of jail and/or forced labour and other countries, typically southern European ones, where the law was more attuned to stem any potential 'public scandal' than actually attempting to repress the behaviours. In other words, as long as the practices were kept behind closed doors they were quietly ignored. Also very important in this context is the understanding of the great economical and social divide at the time between a rich and industrialised Northern and an impoverished agricultural Southern Europe. 

Noblemen of many countries were fascinated by the bucolic landscapes of Italy and Greece, their ancient ruins immersed in a timeless romantic aura. And indeed, some of these picture-perfect locations had not changed in centuries. But this picturesque image also masked a subsistence society, where life was often quite hard and uncomfortable, organised in large families with a very old-fashioned hierarchy. Scores of people emigrated from Spain, Italy and Greece to the Americas in those years, looking for a better future. This relative poverty also meant that any opportunity to raise some money was pretty much grabbed as quickly as possible and this sheds some light on the reasons why many wealthy figures travelled to the South to indulge in their homosexual passions without the risks otherwise involved at home. And they could find plenty of young men for that purpose in the South. 

The town of Taormina, in eastern Sicily was in the mid to late 1800s a key destination for these pioneering gay-tourists. Goethe was one of the earliest visitors and the town quickly made it onto the 'classic tour of Italy'. Indeed some people actually moved there, officially lured by the sunny climate and the abundance of classical culture, but also to enjoy themselves in a relatively less stringent environment.

Pioneer: Wilhelm von Gloeden

One of these foreigners was Baron Wilhelm von Gloeden, from Germany. The name might not tell you very much, but you've probably seen one of his vintage photographs. In fact his incredibly daring male nude compositions would have landed the bearers of such images straight into a jail in London, where they were traded illegally and under-the-counter in Soho. Oscar Wilde is known to have been a big fan of these photographs. Gloeden moved to Taormina in 1878 and initially lodged at Hotel Victoria (still existing and one of first hotels in town to capitalise on the flow of tourists). He met with painter Otto Geleng, who was the town's mayor at the time and through him he became acquainted to the local inhabitants. After setting up his photographic studio in Taormina Gloeden exhibited his works in many cities, including London and Berlin. Soon his work brought him visitors from all over Europe, including royalty, industrialists, writers, and even Oscar Wilde himself in December 1897. Apart from the predictable outcry from the local clergy, Gloeden's photo compositions though very risqué at the time, never actually breached the pornography barrier. In the town of Taormina people were actually quite grateful for the visitors that kept pouring in and the money that they brought over. That is because Gloeden always shared the proceeds of the sale of his pictures with the models he photographed. 

Gloeden had a relationship with one of his models, Pancrazio Buciuni since the boy was aged fourteen and upon the photographer's death in 1931, his lover inherited the estate, including a collection of thousands of negatives. These negatives also landed Buciuni in court, because over a thousand of them were confiscated by the Fascist Police and destroyed. However Buciuni was acquitted of the crime of possessing pornography and it is believed that he died in 1963. Most of the surviving pictures are now in the Fratelli Alinari photographic archive in Florence.

Taormina Today

Taormina's enviable position, perched on the side of a hill allowing stunning views over the Gulf of Naxos and the snow-capped Mount Etna is just as stunning as it was in the fourth century BC when the city was founded by the Greeks. In July and August the picturesque streets get very busy with tourists and it can get very hot, so the best months to visit are April to June and then September to October, though the mild Sicilian climate can be enticing even in the depth of the north European winter.

From a LGBT point of view, don't expect a full blown gay scene; this is the traditional and proudly Catholic Sicily after all - but Taormina is overall a very tolerant and accepting resort and it suits perfectly those who are not looking for nightlife, but rather a cosmopolitan, classy and upmarket location. There are no gay hotels but pretty much all hotels welcome LGBT travellers. There used to be a gay-friendly cafe in town until October 2015 but that has now closed down. Many gay men flock to the Rocce Bianche, which is a popular nudist beach and is located a few kilometers from the town centre. 

What to see and do in Taormina

The Greek Theatre

The horseshoe-shaped Greek theatre was built in the 3rd century BC. It's so dramatically situated atop the town centre that one wonders how the spectators didn't get distracted by the amazing views over the sea and Mount Etna. In fact it is possibly the most spectacularly positioned Greek theatre still in existence. And you can even catch a performance while in town: the theatre is still in use to stage international arts and festivals.

L'Isola Bella

The minuscule Isola Bella (Beautiful Island) is not really an island because you can actually walk to it via a tiny isthmus. Situated just south of Lido Mazzaró, along the coast, is a lovely spot for swimming and snorkeling. But also a great place to spend a lazy afternoon.

Corso Umberto

Taormina, true to its tourist vocation, pedestrianised its high street, Corso Umberto, many years ago. As in most Italian cities, the Corso is where the locals hand out in the afternoons and evenings. Here in Taormina the main thoroughfare is a long sequence of beautiful Renaissance palazzi and some gorgeous fashion boutiques. The gorgeous Clock Tower is also here, in the Piazza 9 Aprile, from where a balcony offers a stunning view over the sea and Mount Etna.

The Cathedral

At the end of the Corso Umberto you will find the Duomo - the 13th century cathedral and around this area is also the medieval quarter, which is the oldest surviving part of town. One of the curious aspects of this church is that it is made to look like a fortress, with its high walls and castle-like features.

Don't forget to have dessert!

The Sicilians have an immensely rich and ancient cuisine with some very interesting influences, including many Arab ones, from the time the Moors frequented its shores. But if there is one thing the locals excel in is desserts. From Cassata (a sponge cake moistened with liqueur and layered with ricotta and candied peel and marzipan) to Cannoli (deep fried pastry dough with a ricotta filling) and Granita (slushy fruit juices), this island is a Gourmet's paradise. If you like marzipan try also the beautifully shaped fruit made entirely of the almond paste (Martorana).

Urban parks and gardens are an antidote to the city's noise, pollution and chaos. However some of the green spaces enclosed in our cities are more than that. They tell amazing stories and often help us understanding the history of the centres they sit in. Here are a few more or less known parks and gardens and the fascinating histories they hold within.

Rome – Orto Botanico / The Botanic Garden

The Italian capital is known for its chaotic and rather unruly traffic and in the summer for the often searing heat and humidity. Yet there is a place where peace and quiet are the norm, a green oasis in the very centre of the bustling metropolis, offering some beautiful panoramic views of the city and a welcome break from the summer sun. If it is forgivable for tourists not to be aware of Rome's Orto Botanico, it is rather amazing that many locals don't know about this urban garden either, tucked away as it is, wedged between the river and the slopes of the Gianicolo hill, a fifteen minutes walk from busy Trastevere.

There has been a garden on this site since the thirteenth century, when the Papal orchard used to be located on this spot. Later a proper botanical garden was established here by Pope Alessandro VI - a key figure of the infamous Borgia Family - in the sixteenth century and this makes the Orto one of the oldest botanical gardens in Europe. Successive pontiffs enlarged this space and brought a water supply from a nearby aqueduct, also to feed lakes, fountains and a number of decorative streams. When Rome eventually became the capital of the new Italian unified state, the park was further enlarged when the neighbouring Villa Corsini was annexed, in 1883. Today, the twelve hectares' garden features over 3,000 vegetal species. The view of the city from the upper reaches, which sees trees dating back over 300 years is just breath-taking and you'll be amazed that such space does not yet see more tourists.

Madrid – Parque del Buen Retiro

It is pretty much impossible not to notice the big green blob just south-east of central Madrid. But the history of this large park (350 acres) is quite impressive and deeply connected to the destiny of this country.

During the reign of Isabella I (1474–1504), the Jeronimos monastery was moved to this location and a small royal palace was built next to the church. When King Philip II moved the court to the new capital, Madrid in 1561, he ordered his architect Juan Bautista de Toledo to enlarge the Retiro and formal avenues of trees were laid. The expansion continued in the 1620s when Gaspar de Guzman, the Count-Duke de Olivares, who was King Philip IV's powerful protégé, gave the monarch several adjacent plots so that a magnificent royal house could be built. At the time this area was just outside the city, a cool and wooded location.Many buildings were added and in the 1630 the great lake (Estanque del Retiro) was inaugurated, which was sometimes used for mock naval battles. The Buen Retiro was described as The world art wonder of the time, possibly the last creation of Renaissance in Spain and a true symbol of Spanish power and grandeur.

The park fell into disrepair and then restored to its former splendour several times and the palace was almost totally destroyed by the Napoleonic troops in 1808, but in 1868 as a result of the Glorious Revolution (La Gloriosa) Isabella II was dethroned and the park became a public space, as it is today. A great green space where you can really experience the last 500 years of Spanish history.

London – Crystal Palace Park

London is a city rightly famous for the abundance of green spaces and urban parkland. But whilst almost everyone will visit the beautiful spaces like Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, hardly any tourist venture beyond the centre to explore some pretty impressive and historical parks further afield. One of them is Crystal Palace Park, south of the city. The name is already pretty meaningful: situated on the top and southern slopes of one of the highest hills in the metropolitan area (Penge Hill), it used to be home to the magnificent Crystal Palace, which was an enormous cast iron and glass structure built by Sir Joseph Paxton for the Great Exhibition of 1851 and housing 14,000 exhibitors in a space almost a million square feet large – a true engineering feat. The Palace was originally built in Hyde Park but was moved on this site after the end of the exhibition. Sadly, if you're looking for this beautiful example of Victoriana you will find almost nothing as the structure was entirely destroyed by a massive fire on 30 November 1936. You can still see the stairs leading to the building and some enormous statues that once decorated the entrance but one can hardly imagine how magnificent this structure once was. The Victorians had also built two impressive rail stations to accommodate the flow of visitors and one of these still remains, though under-used – the other is long gone. It is said that this area also saw the first ever (and possibly last) experiment in a pneumatic passenger railway, though sadly nothing remains of it.

Sir Paxton's work is not the only interesting feature of this green area. When the Palace was relocated here in 1851, a series of stone dinosaurs were placed in the adjacent park, arranged in scenic settings recreating pre-historic environments. The history of these statues is pretty intriguing, for their sculptor Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, under the direction of Sir Richard Owen, created these works six years before the publication of Charles Darwin's 'On The Origin of Species'. Understandably, these dinosaurs' reconstructions, though somehow inaccurate in light of today's knowledge, created furore and outrage at the time, because they put the biblical concept of divine creation in doubt for the first time and in front of a bigger audience. Though these ideas were already circulating in the scientific world, it was the first time the public was effectively exposed to the revolutionary theory of evolution.

Victorian brilliance, engineering masterpieces and revolutionary concepts – that's more than worth the hike to the furthest reaches of south London.

Berlin - The Tiergarten

The first mention of the main parkland in the centre of Berlin dates back to 1527 when it was an area set aside by the king for the purpose of deer hunting. The limits of the park extended much further out than today, as this area was on the outskirts of the city of Berlin at that time. The urban expansion meant that the park progressively shrunk in size and in 1740 Frederick II - who wasn't so much into hunting pursuits - decided to transform the area into a pleasure garden (lustgarten). To this purpose he instructed architect Georg Wenseslaus von Knobeldoff to enrich the park with flower beds, tree-lined avenues and areas where Berliners could congregate and freely converse. A pheasant house was also built, which would then become the central nucleus of the Zoological Gardens in 1844. There were other modifications in following decades, especially the ones carried on by Peter Joseph Lenne to make the Tiergarten a 'Prussian park for the people', but the gardens remained under the possession of the monarchy until 1881 when Wilhelm I abdicated his rights to this parkland. 

One of the main alterations after this period was the addition (finalised in 1901) by Kaiser Wilhelm II of a Siegesallee, a 'Victory Parade', stretching 750 mt from Kemperplatz to the Konigplatz, which was the original site of the Siegessaule, the Victory Column. The Siegessaule itself is today a key landmark of the Tiergarten: designed by Henrik Strack to commemorate the Prussian victory in the Danish-Prussian war it was inaugurated in 1873, by which time Prussia had also defeated the Austrians in 1866 and the French in 1871, giving the statue a new purpose.

However the Siegessaule, as mentioned before, was moved from its original location at the end of the Victory Parade to a new site in the middle of the Tiergarten (where it still is today) during the Nazi period. The move was part of a general re-organisation of the park; Adolf Hitler wanted the Tiergarten to be one of the main highlights of the new monumental Nazi Capital and he therefore ordered the widening of Charlottenburger Chaussee, today known as the Strasse der 17 Juni, positioned the Siegessaule in a prominent site at the Grosser Stern and even altered its height by adding another 7.5 metres to the structure, to make it more imposing. This would have provided the perfect backdrop for Hitler's triumphal military parades. In a way this relocation saved the Siegessaule, because the original location of the structure was severely bombarded during the war so it is very likely that had it stayed there, not much of it would have survived.

Unfortunately after the war and the aerial bombardments, the park suffered some further damage in the immediate aftermath of the WWII conflict. The Tiergarten ended up being entirely in the West side of the partitioned city, but the shortage of coal meant that a large number of trees were felled to heat homes in the brutal Berlin winters. Thankfully starting in 1949 the park started to be reforested and saplings came from all over West Germany to help with the enormous task. Damaged statues were restored and the park became once again a favourite spot for Berliners. The Berlin Wall used to run along the northern and eastern edge of the Tiergarten. After the fall of the Berlin Wall the beautiful perspective of the Tiergarten through the Brandenburg Gate was finally restored.

Today the Tiergarten is an integral part of the city and a much loved green space all year round. In winter the small lakes freeze and the park turns into a snowy enchanted forest. During the long summer days the Tiergarten offers plenty of entertainment, including colourful restaurants & biergartens, such as the Cafe am Neuen See and the Teehaus in the English Gardens. There are also plenty of areas prefect for sunbathing and in many of them it is common to do that fully naked, especially in the area south of the Siegessaule, near the Lion's Bridge. 

The Tiergarten also features a monument to LGBT people persecuted and killed by the Nazi. It can be found just off the Ebertstrasse, on the south-eastern quarter of the park and opposite the Jewish Holocaust memorial. It was designed by artists Elmgreen and Dragset and completed in 2008. It consists of a cuboid with a window through which one can see a short film of two men kissing. 

San Francisco - The Golden Gate Park

In the 1860s the city of San Francisco had plenty of golden aspirations. The gold rush and consequent expansion of the urban area had created the need for a park, on the style that was already being developed in New York for Central Park. A decision was made to locate this new green space to the west of the existing city limits, in a area that at that time was an expanse of sand and not much else. Some argue that this decision was driven also by developers who were keen in starting a construction boom in that area. What we know for sure is that the Golden Gate Park in the form we see it today is very much a creation of two men; William Hammond Hall who surveyed the land and became the park's first commissioner and his assistant John Hays McLaren, a Scotsman who replaced Hall as commissioner for 53 years from 1890. 

Turning an expanse of dry, shifting sand into a park was by no means easy. Lots of water was needed and this initially came through surface pipelines at a costly price. One of the works carried on during McLaren's tenure was the erection of the two windmills to the western end of the park in 1903 and 1908. These windmills had the practical purpose of intercepting a natural source of water underground and directing it to Strawberry Hill and the surrounding Stow Lake, for use in the park. Today the area is one of the quietest and most remote of the Golden Gate Park and is a well known cruising spot. 

The Golden Gate Park houses some remarkable museums, in particular the stunning California Academy of Science, which is a must for any visitor to the city. The original museum was built from 1916 but was damaged in the 1989 earthquake: the present building encompasses 37,000 square meters and includes exhibits of natural history, aquatic life, astronomy, gems and minerals, and earthquakes.

The Conservatory of Flowers is another landmark of the park. The Victorian-style structure dates back to 1879 and is built out of wood and glass. It houses 1,700 species of plants, mostly tropical and aquatic. There is also a botanic garden in the park, which due to the local climate allows the growth of wide range of species, some no longer existing in their natural habitat.

Another beautiful and quiet area can be found around the National HIV/AIDS memorial. The city of San Francisco was severely hit by the epidemic in the 1980s and this peaceful spot allows any visitor to reflect on the immense tragedy and remember those who died as a result of the virus. Situated at 856 Stanyan Street, in the eastern section of the park, the construction of the memorial started in the early 90s and there are over 1,500 names of HIV/AIDS victims inscribed in the flagstone. 

There are other spots that are profoundly intertwined with the city's history. The panhandle section of the park (between Oak and Fell Streets) was the location of the 'Human Be-In', which was held here on 14 January 1967. This event that preceded and anticipated the famous 'Summer of Love' of the same year, which catapulted the counter-culture movement of Haight-Ashbury onto the world's attention. Attended by 30,000 people it included speeches by Allen Ginsberg and music from many famous bands, including The Grateful Dead and George Harrison. Nearby, the height to the east of the Conservatory of Flowers is still aptly called Hippie Hill and is a great spot for people-watching and absorb some of San Francisco's fantastic colourfulness.

Giorgio Petti

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  Hotel Excelsior

  Luxury resort hotel situated on Lungomare

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  Grand Canal Venice

  View from Ponte dell'Accademia

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  Palazzo del Cinema

  Home to the Venice Film Festival

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  Grand Hotel Ausonia & Hungaria

  Liberty-style hotel built between 1913-1916

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  Venetian Sunset

  View of across from the Lido

The second season of the HBO award winning series 'The White Lotus' has supercharged interest in the Sicilian resort of Taormina and its environs. 

The series was principally shot in the beautiful resort San Domenico Palace, part of the Four Seasons luxury chain. The hotel is located in an ancient 14th-century convent with a stunning clifftop infinity pool, magnificent Italian gardens, and a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Many scenes, chiefly those taking place at the resort's fictional beach club were shot at the nearby coastal resort town of Giardini Naxos, where the romantic Isola Bella, is also located.

The fictional setting for Harper and Daphne's girl trip in the series is Noto, which is located to the south of Taormina. Completely destroyed by an earthquake in 1693, the town is famous for its many buildings from the early 18th century, many of which are considered to be among the finest examples of Sicilian baroque style. 

Another stunning location in the series is Cefalú, where Jack and Portia's holiday love comes to a grinding stop once truth sets in. Located 70 km (43 mi) from Sicily's capital Palermo, the town is famous for its ancient cathedral and one of the most popular and beautiful beaches in the whole island.