However, it had nothing on Europa Multiclub (EMC), was is Italy’s largest gay sauna.
These are all within the historic center of the city and walking distance from the main attractions.Īpollion Sauna is a 10-minute walk away from the bars in Gay Street an comes with all the standard facilities in attractive Roman-style decor.įurther south in San Giovanni (but still only a 20-minute walk away from Gay Street) is Illumined Sauna, which is one of the newest and largest, with a 30-man Finnish sauna and 50-man steam room. Gay Rome SaunasĪside from cruise clubs, of which there are a few throughout the city, most of the play in gay Rome takes place at one of the city’s saunas. Check the Gay Village website to find out what’s on during your visit. The club nights run on weekend evenings, with special themed nights happening throughout the season.
In the summer months, the best gay parties in Rome take place at Gay Village. As with the clubs, their remote location makes it almost impossible to incorporate them into a bar-hop, but they do tend to be quite large, meaning you can spend a whole evening there without it getting boring. Several of the city’s cruise bars are also spread out in the districts outside the city center, including Skyline, BUNKER, and Il Diavolo Dentro. Out of these, only MEN2MEN is gay men only, with the other two being popular with a mixed crowd. Some of the largest and wildest parties happen in the (now up-and-coming) area of Ostiense, namely TOMMY Night, MEN2MEN, and G I Am. It’s also not a long walk across the river to Capella Orsini, which hosts extremely popular weekly Bear Monday parties.Ī lot of the nightlife of gay Rome is outside the historic city center. While the bars in Gay Street are more relaxed and casual, these are all lounge cocktail bars with a more upscale atmosphere. The other main grouping of bars is in trendy Trastevere, with Beige, Freni e Frizioni, and Garbo all located a few minutes’ walk from each other. The crowds at these bars tend to spill out onto the street, giving you the unique opportunity to have a drink with a spectacular view of the Colosseum (and of the Italian men surrounding you). Next door, My Bar has a slightly more dancey vibe while Colosseum Bar is low-key but buzzing. This street directly in front of the Colosseum is not as completely gay as the nickname would suggest, but it does contain some popular gay bars.Ĭoming Out is perhaps the most beloved gay Rome bar, and is a great place to start the night with a few drinks.
The first stop for most gay tourists to Rome is Gay Street (real name Via di San Giovanni in Laterano). Over 200,000 people attend every year, meaning you are guaranteed to meet LGBT folks from all over the world during your visit. Every night from May to September, you can expect to find gigs, club nights, film screenings, theatre, competitions, and cultural events. There may be relatively few gay venues – and they may be quite spread out – but the gay bars and clubs of Rome come in an exciting variety of shapes and sizes, and there is still something for everyone.Įvery summer, gay Rome moves to the southern suburbs of the city for Gay Village, a 15-week long party and celebration. This focus on the past and on tradition can make it difficult to envisage Rome being a modern city with a thriving gay scene.īut thriving it is, despite being smaller than that of similar European capitals like Berlin and London. This is something that becomes obvious as you tour the various landmarks that make the city famous, from ancient Roman ruins to Renaissance palaces and even the very seat of the Catholic Church. Rome has been at the heart of world history for millennia.