Bologna LGBTI Friendly

Bologna is also known for its long-standing tradition of openness to diversity and support for minority communities. As early as the 1970s, the city saw the opening of gathering and entertainment venues where the LGBTIQA+ community could come together.

• Palazzo d’Accursio

Palazzo d'Accursio is Bologna's historic city hall. Here, Marcella Di Folco took her seat as City Councillor in 1995, becoming the first trans woman in the world to hold public office. In the 1970s, during her film career, she worked with prominent directors such as Federico Fellini, Roberto Rossellini, Dino Risi, and Alberto Sordi. In 1988, she became President of MIT – Trans Identity Movement and in 1997, Vice President of the National Observatory on Gender Identity. She pioneered the world's first self-managed health centre for transgender people.

Just behind the main entrance to Palazzo d’Accursio, along the outer wall, stands the Waldensian Evangelical Church (Via Venezian 1), home to Komos, Bologna's LGBTIQA+ choir.

• Igor Bookstore

This is Bologna’s only bookstore entirely dedicated to LGBTQI culture. It is named after the friendly dog of the two owners, who warmly welcomes visitors at the entrance. The store frequently hosts book presentations and discussions focused on LGBTIQA+ topics. Founded in 1975 as a foreign book distributor, it can source titles from around the world upon request.

• Birthplace of Pier Paolo Pasolini

Pier Paolo Pasolini, the renowned Italian director and intellectual, was born in 1922 at Via Borgonuovo 4. He remains a key figure in the emergence and representation of Italian homosexual identity. Pasolini spent his formative years in Bologna, attending Liceo Galvani and later graduating in Literature from the University of Bologna. In 1955, he co-founded the literary magazine Officina with Francesco Leonetti and Roberto Roversi. Today, the Pier Paolo Pasolini Study Centre and Archive is housed in the Renzi Library at the Cineteca di Bologna, preserving documents, magazines, over 1.000 audiovisual materials, photographs, and recordings.

• University District

Over the years, various forms of activism have emerged in this area, led by young members of feminist, lesbian, gay, trans, and queer collectives, often tied to university environments. At Via Zamboni 1 stood the Kinky Club (now closed), a historical LGBTQI meeting and entertainment venue.

In the 1970s, it was among the first clubs in the city to welcome LGBTQI people without prejudice, at a time when few Italian cities had openly gay-friendly venues.

• Headquarters of the Trans Identity Movement (MIT)

Founded in 1982, MIT is a social promotion association advocating for the rights of transgender and non-binary individuals. Active at both national and European levels, MIT fights gender identity discrimination, offers dedicated services, and promotes cultural initiatives. Its headquarters is located at Via Polese 22, on the site of the former Paquito, a historic cruising bar and one of the first of its kind in Italy.

• Stefano Casagrande Gardens

Inaugurated in 2012, these gardens near Bologna's medieval walls are named after Stefano Casagrande, a well-known gay artist and activist, co-founder of Il Cassero and creator of The Italian Miss Alternative in 1994 – a charity event supporting AIDS-related associations. Casagrande passed away from AIDS in 2000 at the age of 39.

• BLQ Checkpoint

Opened in 2015, this was the first community-based checkpoint in Italy dedicated to the queer community. It offers health screenings, sexual health testing, and information. The space operates with a “peer” approach – it is managed by people who identify as LGBTIQA+ and/or are living with HIV.

It is run by PLUS – HIV+ LGBT People Association, the first Italian organisation focused on LGBTIQA+ individuals living with HIV.

• La Salara

Once a salt warehouse, La Salara is located in the Manifattura delle Arti district, near the Cineteca, MAMbo, and several university departments.

It now houses:

• Cassero LGBTQIA+ Center: Italy’s longest-running LGBTQIA+ organisation and Bologna’s Arcigay chapter. Founded in 1983, it hosts a documentation centre, one of Europe’s largest LGBTQIA+ libraries, and regularly organises cultural events and parties.
• Lesbiche Bologna: A decades-old association supporting LBT* women who are victims of violence through its Lesbian and Anti-Violence Helpline. It also offers cultural, political, and social events for LBT* individuals.

• Porta Saragozza

Porta Saragozza represents a key landmark in the city’s queer history. In 1982, the 28 June Homosexual Culture Circle, one of Bologna’s earliest queer collectives, was controversially granted the space. The group remained there until 2002. Today, the space is home to the Museum of the Blessed Virgin ofSan Luca.

Bologna was also the first city in Italy to publicly commemorate the Nazi-Fascist persecution of homosexuals. Nearby in the Villa Cassarini Gardens, a pink marble triangle designed by architect Corrado Levi honours the symbol once forced upon homosexuals in Nazi camps. Annual commemorations are held here on January 27 (Holocaust Memorial Day) and April 25 (Liberation Day). Facing this memorial is Piazzale Marcella Di Folco, inaugurated in 2021 to honour the trailblazing trans activist.

• Villa Aldini

Built between 1811 and 1816 by Count Antonio Aldini in Via dell’Osservanza 35, this neoclassical villa commemorates Napoleon Bonaparte’s visit to the site in 1805. Shaped like a Temple on an Acropolis, the building features a U-shaped layout, eight Ionic columns, and symmetrical staircases. It incorporates the 12th-century Rotonda della Madonna del Monte, with remnants of 13th-century frescoes still visible.

Villa Aldini was the setting for outdoor scenes in Salò or the 120 Days of Sodom, Pier Paolo Pasolini’s final and most controversial film, inspired in part by the work of Marquis de Sade and exploring the darkest recesses of human nature – including explicit and homoerotic content.

FAQs and useful info

• Why is Bologna considered a historically significant and safe city for LGBTIQA+ people?

• How can I explore these places during my visit to Bologna?

• Where can I find more information?

• Are there any LGBTQIA+ guided tours or experiential itineraries in Bologna?

This initiative was created as part of the Collaboration Pact for the Promotion and Protection of the Rights of LGBTIQA+ People and Communities in the City of Bologna.