Florence is a city that has always been ahead of its time: here, in 1789, Peter Leopold Grand Duke of Tuscany abolished for the first time the death penalty. and later, in 1853, Leopold II abolished the punishments for homosexuality.
Even earlier, the Medici dynasty, which held the reins of the city from the 15th to the 18th century, promoted art, culture and tolerance: among the numerous representatives of the family, some were certainly homosexual: Pope Leo X (Giovanni de' Medici, 1475-1521), Ferdinando II (1610-1670), and Giovanni Gastone de' Medici (1671-1737). During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, in Florence, there was a series of places where homosexual meetings could be held.
Today, the LGBT traveller can find a valid support in the AITGL (the Italian association of tourism companies) whose purpose is to promote LGBT Tourism in Italy and in the Azione Gay e Lesbica, a Florentine association organising various events and meetings in the city.
Florence is a city open to LGBT tourism; there are lots of gay friendly clubs, cafés and discos: the Piccolo Café, very popular in the LGBTQ+ community, which organises live music nights, and offers an excellent service of drinks and food ; the Queer, a bar serving delicious cocktails and the Crisco Club, a cruising club for men, frequented by Florentines and foreigners.
And to relax after a day of sightseeing….. the Florence Baths, a sauna where you can lose yourself in a warm athmosphere, accessible by men only.
If you want then to stay up late, you can take part in one of the various events organised in the city : In addition to the already mentioned monthly events at the Auditorium Flog, there are Saturday nights at Fairy Gold, very popular disco in the LGBTQ+ community, and monthly ones organized by the Mamamia group at the Viper Theatre.
