I was in University when I learned Sicily, my motherland, has been a destination for queer travellers since the grand tour.
I’ve always suspected - what with the wildly attractive statues in museums across town having their best homoerotic time and all - but the confirmation was wonderfully validating.
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Turns out hoards of German and British travellers made their way to the island not just to build fancy villas and lush gardens, but also to indulge in the company of fellow queer people in a more relaxed, less policed environment.
While Goethe’s lyrical pages on Sicily are widely quoted in travel books, and Van Gloeden’s photographs of Sicilian youth fawns are still in circulation, trans and non-binary histories have somewhat disappeared.
But they are alive on the territory in the present, both in quirky and lesser-known historical facts (did you know Palermo has a non-binary patron saint?) and with associations like Arcigay and its subsidiary Gruppo Trans creating safe and engaging spaces for all.
Quick Sicily profile
Safety flag: yellow.
LGBTQ+ legislation (Italy): scarce. Same-sex unions since 2017. No same-sex parenthood recognised. No hate crime legislation.
Safety advice: unproblematic with documents. Safe in big cities. Moderate caution in smaller towns and out of the city centre.
Palermo
The region’s capital is probably the safest place for trans and non-binary folks, and if you are Q+ in general. Thanks to its cosmopolitan vibe, it’s one of top places in Sicily where you can enjoy a variety of daytime and nightlife activities that are low to no risk.
Wikimedia Commons
3-day city itinerary
DAY 1
Start your journey in the Via Liberta, the main boulevard once adorned with liberty-style villas, and now home to fancy shops and gardens. It’s a nice stroll if you start from the Giardino Inglese, ending in the bombastic Piazza Massimo.
The Massimo theatre is the third largest opera theatre in Europe, and a wonderful spot for pictures and a cannolo at the historic bar Ruvolo.
If you love opera or classical music, keep an eye on the Massimo website for the latest shows - and last-minute tickets.
Continue onwards to Via Maqueda, the long promenade taking you to Piazza Quattro Canti. This piazza has a fascinating history: it was created during the Spanish rule of Sicily to improve the road system, as a result dissecting the city in four main quarters: Kalsa, Monte di Pieta, Albergheria and Castellammare.
Q fact: statues of the city’s four women patron saints are at the very top on the third register, towering on the statues of the Spanish kinds (2nd register). One of the saints, Santa Ninfa, has been historically associated with 3rd century Saint Tryphon. In orthodox tradition, they are the same person: Ninfa or Tryphon is represented as an androgynous youth using long cloaks to travel safely within the city as a lady, and wearing male attire to attend social events. The fact was well known in 1608 when the statue was erected, making one of Palermo’s patron saints (almost) canonically non-binary!
Saint Tryphon - their name is derived from the Greek τρυφή (tryphe) meaning softness, delicacy.
Santa Ninfa, on the third (top) register.
Another stop on the way is the Fontana della Vergogna, the ‘fountain of shame’ which sits opposite the city council’s headquarters. The moniker is mistakenly believed to be due to the naked statues, but in truth comes from a purchase deemed ‘shameful’ by citizens who thought the city council should have spent the money better.
Q fact: this fountain complex was used as regional symbol during the gay liberation movement in the 1980s, representing freedom for ordinary citizens, who would plead their case right in front of the local site of power.
Picking up where you left off, you are in the former Norman district now.
Heading to the right of the cathedral, the lush Giardino della Vittoria separates it from another big historic chunk of the city.
The Arab-Norman trail is UNESCO-protected; it starts from the imposing structure of the Norman palace, and includes smaller entities built during the same time (San Cataldo and La Martorana among them).
I cannot stress enough how much Palermo is an open-air museum. Most attractions on this side of town will be free to enter, exception made for the Palazzo dei Normanni (Norman Palace) and Cappella Palatina (Palatine Chapel) - a golden jewel inside the majestic palace - and the domed church and cloister of San Giuseppe degli Eremiti.
Stop for lunch at I Cuochini, a rosticceria kitchen open since 1826 and still baking and frying some of the best calzoni and arancine the world has yet to taste.
DAY 3
Whether you’re visiting in summer or not, you should pay a visit to Palermo’s top beach Mondello. The views are spectacular year-round, and the beach promenade is a pleasant walk with plenty of opportunities to stop and have gelato.
The beach is frequented by locals and tourists, making it an overall safe space when it comes to bathing freely and expressing your gender identity.
I used to go to the beach wearing a binder and swimshirt [at home], I just felt so claustrophobic. This was the first time I took shirt off in public after top surgery and it was so freeing. No one looked twice at me, I could finally feel like me in public. A dream finally come true.
Also the guy at the boat club, Vincenzo was really helpful when came to me back in my wheelchair, he let me use the hose to get the sand off and store my wheelchair he also said that I was free to use the area anytime.
I always loved swimming but I couldn’t swim in a binder so I felt robbed of that enjoyment. It was an incredible feeling to be in the water again even if was cold, i never felt more alive and this confirmed that everything i went through was definitely worth it.
Rian-James, pictured in Mondello beach
A last goodbye
For frilly frocks, pearls and an occasion to be camp in high society, there was no better time than the 1920s. Not many know, but Palermo has a rich history of art nouveau style, coinciding with the city’s golden age under the Florio family - if you read Stefania Auci’s The Florios of Sicily you will be familiar with the dramatisation of the lives of the most influential family of the time.
They dealt in commodities such as textile and mercantile equipment, but their true fortune was a result of trading Marsala wine. At the height of their success, they had 99 ships: only one ship short of the King’s fleet.
Use your afternoon to indulge in a tour of Liberty-style locations. The gallery below shows my favourite locations, all connected to an age of hedonism and sexual laissez-faire.
L to R: Villino Favaloro, Villa Whitaker Malfitano, Villino Florio
To end the day on a high, have pizza at one of the most hip places (in order of hip-ness):
Pizzeria Frida £
Sciuscia - Neapolitan style ££
Apud Jatum £££
Nightlife:
If you like clubbing, historic queer venue EXIT offers a mix of core, drag, and dance nights.
The popular quarter Vucciria is a favourite for a late night drink and a snack. As a genderqueer person - but mostly as a sensible one - I’ve always avoided it like the plague. Via Maqueda is a much nicer spot for an Aperol Spritz and a coppu, and you don’t need to watch your back as much.
U’ Coppu: a cone-shaped fried snack. This can be fish (above), fried potatoes, croquettes and other tasty snacks.
If you are in Sicily for longer than 3 days, you may want to check out other sites of historical significance and natural beauty, such as Taormina, the town Wilde said was the ultimate “lovers’ place”.
Palermo, and Sicily in general, have a long way to go when it comes to celebrating queer identities. However, the journey has started a long time ago and the influx of mass tourism has promoted a more open-minded approach to queer travellers and queer identities in general.
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