Italy as a whole, and Northern and Central Italy in particular, are gay-friendly. Homosexuality is legal, and the age of consent is 16. Luckily, Italians are already more affectionate and physical than Americans in their general friendships, and even straight men occasionally walk down the street with their arms around each other -- however, kissing anywhere other than on the cheeks at greetings and goodbyes will certainly draw attention. As you might expect, smaller towns tend to be less permissive and accepting than cities. Florence has the largest and most visible homosexual population (not that that's saying much), though university cities such as Pisa also take gayness in stride. Elba's beaches are Tuscany's big gay-vacation destination.
Italy's national association and support network for gays and lesbians is ARCI-Gay/ARCI-Lesbica. The national website is www.arcigay.it, but they've recently launched a Tuscany-specific one at www.gaytoscana.it, and the new head regional office is in Siena at Via Massetana Romana 18, 53100 Siena (tel. 0577-288-977; fax 0577-271-538; www.gaysiena.it). There are other offices in Pisa (Arcigay Pride!), Via San Lorenzo 38 (tel. 050-555-618; fax 050-831-0605; www.gay.it/pride), in Pistoia (tel. 333-667-6873; www.gaypistoia.it), and Grosseto, Via Ravel 7 (tel. 339-440-9049 or 347-078-8972; www.grossetogay.it). Their cousin association in Florence is called Ireos (www.ireos.org), in the Oltrarno at Via dei Serragli 3, 50124 Firenze (tel./fax 055-216-907).
The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association (IGLTA; tel. 800/448-8550 or 954/776-2626; www.iglta.org) is the trade association for the gay and lesbian travel industry, and offers an online directory of gay- and lesbian-friendly travel businesses and tour operators.
Many agencies offer specific tours and travel itineraries for gay and lesbian travelers. Above and Beyond Tours (tel. 800/397-2681; www.abovebeyondtours.com) are gay Australia tour specialists. San Francisco-based Now, Voyager (tel. 800/255-6951; www.nowvoyager.com) offers worldwide trips and cruises, and Olivia (tel. 800/631-6277; www.olivia.com) offers lesbian cruises and resort vacations.
Gay.com Travel (tel. 800/929-2268 or 415/644-8044; www.gay.com/travel or www.outandabout.com), is an excellent online successor to the popular Out & About print magazine. It provides regularly updated information about gay-owned, gay-oriented, and gay-friendly lodging, dining, sightseeing, nightlife, and shopping establishments in every important destination worldwide. British travelers should click on the "Travel" link at www.uk.gay.com for advice and gay-friendly trip ideas.
The Canadian website GayTraveler (gaytraveler.ca) offers ideas and advice for gay travel all over the world.
The following travel guides are available at many bookstores, or you can order them from any online bookseller: Spartacus International Gay Guide, 35th Edition (Bruno Gmünder Verlag; www.spartacusworld.com/gayguide) and Odysseus: The International Gay Travel Planner, 17th Edition (www.odyusa.com); and the Damron guides (www.damron.com), with separate, annual books for gay men and lesbians.
