Our friend Marco from Puglia tells us about gay life in Italy and what it’s like growing up gay there.
Whenever we come to Italy, our gaydar is always in a state of flummox! Every other guy here is ripped to perfection and dressed immaculately. Personal space isn’t an issue with Italians – it’s easy to misconstrue innocent friendly warm gestures. Not that we’re complaining!
We always welcome a trip to Italy. We love it and always leave wanting to return – from our first year anniversary in Venice, our gay road trip in Puglia, the glorious Amalfi coast, exploring historical Rome, and partying in the exciting gay scene of Milan. Italy simply ticks every box.
But, when it comes to LGBTQ rights in Italy, it is lagging behind its West European neighbors. For example, Italy has not yet introduced gay equality (although civil unions were introduced in 2016) and anti-discrimination laws have not been applied nationwide. This is not to say that Italy is in any way a dangerous place for gay travelers – quite the contrary! Italy offers so much for LGBTQ travelers and welcomes them with open arms.
During our trip to Milan, we met the affable Marco who sat us down to tell us what it was like growing up as a member of the Italian LGBTQ community and shared an array of invaluable tips.
Discover Puglia on a gay tour:
Our buddy Sergio is one of the craziest human beings we’ve ever been fortunate to meet, and we love him! He has his own gay tour company based in Puglia and organizes many different trips for gay travelers throughout the year. We highly recommend joining one of them: foodie tours in Lecce, a gay bike tour across Puglia, gay yoga retreats, and so much more!
Ciao Marco, please introduce yourself
Ciao Ragazzi! I’m Marco Prete from Taranto in the Puglia region of Italy (the heel of the boot). I was born in 1996. I work as a digital content creator building an events app for the Puglia region. I am also one of the Puglia Guys, travel ambassadors for gay Puglia. We publish the Big Gay Puglia Guides.
I am openly bisexual and date both men and women. At the moment, I’m single. Maybe some of your readers can help me out with that?
When did you realize you were bi?
I first realized I was attracted to both men and women when I was around 6 years old. At the time it didn’t make sense to me that I had to choose between one or the other.
How old were you when you came out?
I was around 22 when I started…
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