Where to Have a Gay Wedding in Italy -The Nomadic Boys

Since our engagement in Cartagena in Colombia, we’ve been researching wedding venues and ideas for destinations for our own ceremony. We attended our friends’ gay wedding ceremony in Gallipoli in South Italy and completely fell in love, feeling totally inspired at the same time.

Gay Wedding in Italy

Although Italy remains one of Western Europe’s more conservative countries with regards to LGBTQ rights and still has a ban in place for same sex marriages, steps are slowly being taken in the right direction. In particular, civil unions for same sex couples (called “unioni Civili” in Italian) were introduced in June 2016. This has spiked interest in Italy as a destination wedding for LGBTQ couples.

Following on from our travels in Italy and researching the best places for our own wedding, we’ve put together our 5 best destinations for a gay wedding in Italy:

Gorgeous Gallipoli in Puglia
Gallipoli is the main gay hotspot in the Puglia region of Italy. Over the years it’s grown massively with gay tourists, due to its mix of gay friendly beaches and fun gay events. This has made it ideal for gay wedding destination in Italy.

We attended our friends’ Unioni Civili at Villa dei Fiori Eventi, located just outside of Gallipoli main town and absolutely loved it. The registrar from the town hall attended to officiate the ceremony, which was held outdoors. Everything was spot on, from the choice of music, decor, food and music. Definitely one to consider, especially as Puglia has so much to offer gay travellers for a honeymoon. Also check out our 5 best gay friendly hotels in Puglia for more inspiration.

By Stefan Arestis – Full Story at The Nomadic Boys

Italy Gay Travel Resources

Charming Queer Quebec – Passport Magazine

queer Quebec - pixabay

“The city is romantic, it offers a wide variety of fine restaurants, has a European flair, and, most importantly, both visitors and residents find an openness of mind, an acceptance of differences.”

We started to get nervous as a burly police officer gave us that I’m-about-to-walk-over eye. My boyfriend and I were taking a quick-kiss selfie in front of Québec City’s Fontaine de Tourny. He steps over in unison with the banging of drums from a First Nations’ festival happening across the street at Parc de l’Esplanade.

“Hey guys, let me take that photo for you,” he says, in a deep Québec accent. We pose. I wrap my arm around Jason, but keep him at justfriends length.

“Come on,” he says. “Give him another kiss, act like you like each other,” he laughs while holding up the phone and crouching like a mom taking a picture of her kids before they leave for the first day of school.

We give one another a big kiss, the officer takes the snap, and then he gives us a gentle wave goodbye. “Happy pride,” he says walking back to the festival gates.

Both of us were in somewhat of a shock by the incident and had to take a minute to discuss what just happened. Being from New York, we are programed to be suspicious of strangers, never mind a cop approaching us. It was so sweet that we savored the scenario as we stood by the cascading fountain waters.

By Joseph Pedro – Full Story at Passport Magazine

Queer Quebec Travel Resources

More About Florence – Dolly Travels

Florence - Dolly Travels

Buona sera,

Now I can settle down. Mexico won their first World Cup game, defeating Germany, so we are more relaxed. The kids went to a bar to watch the game. I had to do some more walking through my favorite Italian city. I finally stopped and watched the last two minutes of the game, before coming back to the apartment.

Saturday morning, we decided to follow Rick Steves’ audiotour of the Renaissance Walk. We fought our way through the crowds around the Duomo, continued down via Calzaiuoli to Piazza Signoria, then across the Ponte Vecchio.

We stopped for a snack and cold drinks after the walk…the most expensive snack we have had. But I needed a break from the crowds.

On our walk back to the city, we stayed on the Oltrano side of the river, until we came to the next bridge, Ponte Grazie.

Later in the afternoon, the kids made a visit to Bargello galleria. There is so much to see in Florence. Danny and Heather had their list of places to see. They have more stamina than I do, so I simply walked all around my favorite city, watching the children at play, following some of the streets I know so well.

This morning, after breakfast, we walked up to Piazzale Michelangelo. It is quite a hike, but we made it. The view from up there is incredible; it made the walk worthwhile.

We walked down the hill, following the paths, and soon we were back in the city proper. We stopped for some lunch, then it was time to go home and take our afternoon nap. These one-hour naps are becoming quite the habit, but so necessary, especially after being out in the humid heat of the day.

Now we are all unwinding at home, making our plans for tomorrow, our last day in Florence.

Until next time,
Arrivederci,

Ciao for now,
Dolly

Puerto Vallarta’s Los Muertos in top Gay Beaches worldwide

puerto vallarta gay beach puerto vallarta gay beach

GayCities just released its list of 11 recommendations of the Best Gay Beaches in the world where you can get fashionable in a speedo, board shorts, classic swimwear or whatever your heart desires–plus a few where you can take them off. Puerto Vallarta’s world famous Los Muertos gay beach is listed there.

What gay beach clubs and LGBT resorts will you find at Los Muertos gay beach in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico? See why Puerto Vallarta is Mexico’s number 1 gay destination here.

Queer Mexico – The Telegraph

queer Mexico - pixabay

Mexico’s culture draws tens of millions of visitors every year, from its colourful Day of the Dead celebrations to the national reverence for gastronomy that means there is something delicious to taste around almost every corner. As a Latin American country, it might not be the first place that the phrase “LGBT+ travel destination” makes spring to mind, and of course, the Catholic church exerts a conservative influence, but legislatively it’s a different story.

Same-sex sexual activity has been legal here since 1871; same-sex marriage has been legal in Mexico City since 2010 and many states since; discrimination is outlawed.

Pride festivals are expanding across the country – so I decided to visit in June, Pride month, to see how Mexico fared as a long-haul travel destination for the LGBT+ community (that’s lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, plus a number of groups with other orientations and identities).

My first stop was Puerto Vallarta, put on the map by Elizabeth Taylor, who frequented it with Richard Burton in the Sixties. It now has a reputation as a gay-friendly seaside resort town. I’d been told to expect possibly the best fish tacos of my life, and spent a sensational few hours on the Mex-ology Vallarta Food Tour (£56), which gloriously combined tequila and tacos.

I discovered El Cuñado, the oldest (and best) street stand in town, and also La Palapa, a favourite dining haunt of Taylor’s, where days before, the annual Pride festival had seen drag queens race up the cobbled hill in stilettos. Along from here I found Mantamar Beach Club, popular with an older, gay male crowd, and its specifically LGBT-friendly hotel Almar, which hosts same-sex weddings and pool parties for Pride at its rooftop bar.

By Rachel Crenshaw – Full Story at the Telegraph

Mexico Gay Travel Resources

48 Hours in Gay Edinburgh – Gay Star News

Dan Beeson

Struggling through changeable weather year-round, Edinburgh, the UK’s most northerly capital city, has better things to offer than endless days of unbroken sunshine – it has class, heritage and candlelit folklore to keep you warm.
We should mention, It was unusually sunny and hot during our visit in late May – but we promise everything in this guide is, pretty much, weatherproof and true to ‘usual’ climates.

Now that’s been cleared up, let’s take a five-pillar approach to what makes a good trip; relaxation, culture, LGBTI spaces, food and drink and the outdoors.
We had exactly 48 hours from the time the plane touched down to when we departed from the tarmac once again – so it was on to cram in as much as possible but still feel chilled.

Here’s a quick round-up of guide of where we found ourselves in those 48 hours:
Wake up with the dawn chorus and head to a spa for relaxation.

Have you ever had an hour-long exfoliating facial massage? It’s a definition of living.
One Spa at the Sheraton Grand Hotel & Spa offers a huge range of treatments designed individually to suit men and women, as well as an outdoor hydropool and signature spa experience, ‘Escape at One’, that leads relaxation-seekers around various treatment rooms.

Diving in bright and early, around 9am, starting our adventures in Edinburgh with a vigorous workout followed by intensive therapy sessions was just what we needed to unwind from a busy week we’d just left behind – and truly left behind.

By Dan Beeson – Full Story at Gay Star News

Edinburgh Gay Travel Resources

Roussell’s Garden B&B – Savannah Gay Bed & Breakfast

Roussell's Garden B&B

The stately 1888 Queen Anne style home in Savannah, offers 3 guest rooms located upstairs, and 1 on the first floor.

A side porch awaits you outside, and a touch of the curved wooden banister of the elegant staircase, inside, will make you feel this home is alive, as it radiates warmth and a welcome.

See the Roussell’s Garden B&B Expanded Listing on Purple Roofs Here

Georgia Gay Friendly Bed and Breakfasts, Hotels, and Vacation Rentals

From Orvieto to Florence – Dolly Travels

Orvietto - Dolly Travels

Buona sera, tutti,

I realize that I haven’t told you about Orvieto yet. When we left Rome, we went to the hill town of Orvieto, in Umbria. This ancient town sits like a mushroom above the Umbrian valley. It is a lovely old city, with its stone walls and ancient building. The city itself dates back to 900 B.C. This turned out to be not the best trip I have ever made to Orvieto: no one reason, but several things happened that no one had control over. First, the funicular that is supposed to take passengers from the train station up to the old town, was broken. We had to go on a bus. Then the shuttle bus from the little station was not running (so we were told), so we walked about a mile, pulling our luggage behind us. By the time we got to our hotel, we were tired and starving.

However, pizza was not far away. After a good late lunch, I had to take a nap, while Danny and Heather went exploring. Dinner that night consisted of gelato.

The following day our activity was thwarted, also, for we had planned to take a bus to the city of Bagnoreggio and walk to another ancient city, Civita. This could not happen, for the rains and thunderstorms came. I did not want to walk across that footbridge from Bagnoreggio to Civita in a thunderstorm. The walk is scary enough to me in good weather. Heather had her heart set on doing a hike through and around the mountain that Orvieto sits upon. Off they went; several hours later, after walking 3 miles and climbing or descending 43 sets of stairs, they emerged back into town, soaking wet.

I stayed in town, walked up and down a few of the streets, found a place for cappuccino and spent the morning writing. After that, I visited this beautiful cathedral. The Gothic facade is spectacular.

We ended our evening with dinner at Trattoria da Carlo, with a typical regional menu. Carlo not only was our chef, but our waiter as well, along with his Mama and one other waiter. The pasta was homemade with choices of different sauces; simple meat dishes but very tasty. After dinner, we took another quiet stroll, then off to bed for us, to be ready for our train ride into Florence on Thursday morning.

Once again, all three of us were hungry when we arrived in Florence, so first item on our agenda was lunch. We went across the street to one of my favorite places, the L’OK Cucina e Ristorante…eight years ago, when I first started hanging out there, it was the OK Bar. Now Christina owns the place, has enlarged it and turned it into a first class dining establishment.

I was going through cooking withdrawal, so after lunch, we went to the Conad market and bought food to cook for dinner. I think we all enjoyed our simple home-cooked meal, then relaxed while watching the World Cup game on television in our own living room.

Later, we took an evening stroll. The weather was a bit breezy, but sweater weather.

Today, we started by visiting the Galleria Accademia, where the kids got a first look at David. He stands on a pedestal that is about 6 feet tall, and the man himself is 17 feet tall. Massive and impressive, of course.

I love it that so many of the merchants remember me. It makes me feel like a really am a Fiorentina.

After our lunch, at home, of fresh bread, salami, cheese and fruit, we are all ready for our siesta. We will venture out again this evening, for the “passiagetta”, or our version of that walk, while we find more good places in Florence. The kids are enjoying Florence so much that we may not take more than one side trip. There is just too much to see and savor in this Renaissance city, my true second home.

Until next time,
Arrivederci,

Ciao for now,
Dolly

By Dolly – Full Story at Dolly Travels

Orvieto Gay Travel Resources

Florence Gay Travel Resources

Estes Park with Kids – 2TravelDads

Estes Park with Kids

Colorado is full of all kinds of wonderful small towns, from old mining towns to ski villages, the prairie and the mountains. Our favorite Colorado mountain town is Estes Park. It’s cute, surrounded by epic landscapes and is the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park. We escaped the bustle of Denver for four days and have come up with our best activities for families planning to do Estes Park with kids.

If you aren’t into lounging by the pool, Estes Park is going to be your new favorite getaway (and I’m sure there are a few pools to lounge by there too).  Check out our top things to do in Estes Park with kids.

Locale of Estes Park, Colorado

Let’s just say this now, no matter what day you’re heading to Estes Park with kids (or for a grown up getaway) be sure to leave early in the day before rush hour. You’ll no doubt be coming from Denver, and while traffic isn’t half as bad as LA or Seattle, driving on the 25 during peak traffic hours is a lengthy, irritating experience. If you can do the drive against traffic or in off-hours, it should take less than 1.5 hours to get to Estes Park.

Estes Park is set just up into the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. The Big Thompson River runs through the town as several small forks, converging just east of the city. This makes getting your bearings in town a little tricky at first, but once you’ve driven through a few times you’re good to go.

By Rob Taylor – Full Story at 2TravelDads

Estes Park Gay Travel Resources

Nicaragua’s Corn Islands – The Globetrotter Guys

Nicaragua's Corn Islands - The Globetrotter Guys

If you haven’t heard of the Corn Islands (Little Corn Island and Big Corn Island), Nicaragua, then you are not alone. These Caribbean islands are probably one of Nicaragua’s best kept secrets – but they won’t stay secret for long!

Quite simply, these are the most beautiful islands we have ever visited and we challenge you to find better!

There are two islands, Big Corn Island and Little Corn Island. They are both located 70km off the Eastern Caribbean coast of Nicaragua.

Boasting white sand Caribbean beaches, crystal clear turquoise waters and some incredibly friendly people, Big Corn and Little Corn have a lot to offer!

Imagine the Caribbean 50 years ago before major tourism hit – that’s what you can expect to find in the Corn Islands. If you want a pristine beach all to yourself, you might want to get a flight booked asap!

Full Story at The Globetrotter Guys

Nicaragua Gay Travel Resources