Queer Venice: Gay History Tour from Past to Present

Uncover Venice’s LGBTQ+ history from the Middle Ages to today. A private tour exploring hidden stories of love, identity, repression, and resilience.

Hear about the stories about cross-dressing in cat masks and Rolandina, the first transgender we know about in Italy. Explore the places gay cruised from middle ages to the Grand Tour, enjoying the tolerant, laid-back and easy-going city attitude today
Take a trip over the centuries through the gay history of Venice, which is as labyrinthine as the city’s convoluted system of canals. Travel back to Middle Ages, when the practice of sodomy was deemed a sin. Learn about the history of Rolandina, a transgender who was burned at stake, as several other men of all social statuses have being condemned for their same-sex relations in the following centuries. Visit the city as a European tourists did during their discovery trip "Grand Tour" in the 17th century and how Thomas Mann and Frederick Rolfe made Venice a place of homosexual imagery during Belle Epoque. Learn about the fascist attempt to “clean up” the city, while following the location of a music video by a gay-icon as Madonna and checking out how is gay life nowadays in the floating city.

Know before you go

Tour Options

The shared small-group tour is available in English and limited to 15 participants max.
For English, Italian, Spanish, or German, you can book a private tour.
Private tours are fully customizable and reserved exclusively for your group.

Accessibility

I strive to make this experience as inclusive and accessible as possible.
If you have motor, sensory, or cognitive disabilities, please inform me in advance — I’ll do my best to accommodate your needs.
The shared group tour is not wheelchair accessible, but a wheelchair-friendly private version is available upon request.

Keep things flexible!

Full refund for 24-hour cancellations!