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Etna and the Mafia aren't the only things active on Sicily finds OutUK's randy rover
Adrian Gillan in Catania and Taormina on the East coast of southern Italy's
fiercely independent island idyll.
It was Baron Wilhelm Von Gloeden who first put the coast at the foot of fiery Etna on the global gay map with his sultry, timeless and ambiguous nude photo poses of gorgeous local Taormina youths at the turn of the last century. Queer travellers have been drawn to this unspoilt and dramatic homo-haven ever since. | |
| Taormina - about twenty miles north of Catania along the coast around Etna - is perched dramatically high above the sea. Wondering along its main street, the Corso Umberto, you'll now only rarely find the old Baron's celebrated souvenir sex snaps even furtively changing hands, but who needs them when you've got the real things basking on every terrace and winding, narrow, hilly street corner. |
One of Baron Von Gloeden's classical recreations. |
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Check out the local lads lounging in the leopard-skin and cherub-frescoed interior, or on the shady terrace, of Ziggy Bar & Disco Le Perroquet in the lofty Piazza San Domenico, gazing effortlessly and listlessly out over the Mediterranean expanse; or strip off and re-enact some of those faded sepia snapshot scenes at the famous cliffy White Rocks gay nudist beach along the coast below. There are indeed smaller gay hubs in the capital Palermo and at Ragusa, Agrigento and Siracusa, dotted around the coast. But the real queer epicentre on Sicily is Catania itself, just south of Taormina and perched ominously within Etna's reach - rebuilt after being completely wiped out in 1693. As with many Italian scene's, there's a heavy cruising culture after 10pm. You'll not struggle to pull within the hour, whilst strolling or rolling along any of the central avenues or squares, most notably Corso Sicily, Piazza Grenoble, Piazza Republica or Piazza Stesicoro. | |
| You can also check out the large and lush city centre Villa Bellini park or - when that shuts after dark - tread the green Piazza Cavour nearby. But the busiest and safest bet is in any port car park, especially the one just south of town, turning off from the Bowling Alley round-about. |
Isola Bella & Mazzarò Bay. |
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Again, you'll see the Italian trend for mixed gay-friendly bars and eateries. The Trattoria
Dal Cavaliere will provide welcome succour mid-cruising those central streets. Just around
the corner, the inviting Forzese Night Bar also offers snacks whilst your eyes scour the
streets from its front terrace.
Bar Nievski - in a gorgeous, narrow, stepped lane just north of the cathedral, the Duomo, is a maze of rooms and terraces offering food and drink amid a communist ambient chic where all-comers are extremely equal. On the same decadent, Bohemian revolutionary theme, the Havana Pub near the main railway and bus station is a fantastic experience. You enter via a large iron door and through a foyer of palms into a large bar with drag stage. It adjoins the busy and modern Villa Romeo club at weekends, majoring on Latin American music on a Saturday. And if you still need to let off steam, try the small, clean and ambitiously-named Mykonos Sauna next door. Uptown a little and you can try two non-summer venues: the Sottosopra Disco-Pub with its small dance terrace and Pegaso's with its acclaimed dark rooms. But the highlight of any trip to Catania in July or August must be Pegaso's unique summer weekend outdoor reincarnation about four miles south of town, over the road from the Jolly Playa beach. You enter a park complex with large swimming pool where youths will swim skimpy or naked until dawn breaks, fresh and rosy-fingered, across Etna's vast shield. You can also dance the darkness away or get legless beneath the stars; or you can even safely cruise some gorgeous guys in the huge, bustling forest area within this sprawling open-air complex.
THE LITTLE BLACK BOOK
Ziggy Bar & Disco Le Perroquet (Piazza San Domenico, Taormina; T: 0039 (0)94 22 48 08)
Many of the venues shut for a week or two during July or August so it's wise to ring ahead
if visiting at that time. You might also call or drop into the Open Mind LGB Centre
(via Gargano 33, Catania; T: 0039 (0)95 53 26 85) for the very latest.
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