Each year, Rome hosts one of its most fun loving festivals, gay Pride. We are in the last few days of this year’s event, which has been taking place since the 26th of June and ends on the 20th of September, 2008; so there’s just a few more days to take part. The Gay Village (the name of this year’s outdoors summer event) offered an extensive amount of performances with film, music, festivals, shows and more. Admission for the whole summer was free from 20 to 21.30 hours, after 21.30 the entrance ticket for the Thursday cost 7 euros, and entrance for Friday and Saturday cost 13 (this included a drink). The event was held in the Parce del Ninfeo, via delle 3 fontane, in the EUR area (Metro B: Magliana).
During the past years, the pope has publicly declared his disapproval of the event which has not failed to stem controversy. The controversial relationship between the gay world and the Catholic Church is no secret and it’s no surprise that, in Rome, such an event would not have the ecclesiastical hierarchies’ support. It seems that the Vatican has tried to prevent the making of the festival, with such force that many have lead to the event being described as a real “festival of human rights” and a moment for the “maintenance of democracy.”
The 2008 edition of the Gay Village has seen the presence of important characters such as Giusy Ferreri and Le Sorelle Marinetti. No matter what your sexual orientation and your opinion on the controversial issue in the Italian Capital, this festival is genuinely seen as a reality truly independent from personal opinions; no matter how you feel about the issue, you’re almost guaranteed to have a good time.
The area of Monte Testaccio, which hosts most of the festival, was carefully planned and organized: bars, restaurants, stages, dance spaces and wooden cabins have been able to establish a small town where “tolerance” is the main word. Information about these last few evenings is available on the official website gayvillage.it.
The gay community of the Roman capital has always been very active in organizing events and meetings, with the hope of spreading a message of tolerance. Moreover in the capital there are some local bars very frequented by gay clientele, which represent a real meeting place. Anyone looking for a vacation that includes such activities will find Rome to be an ideal city. For information on where to find your own accommodation (Roma alloggio) in the capital, have a look at Oh-holidays.com where you’ll find a large selection of apartments (appartamenti a Roma) and hotels (hotel a Roma).
