Gay italians
A gay island society created by Italy's Fascists
"We were curious because they were called 'the girls'," says Carmela Santoro, an islander who was just a child when the gay exiles began to arrive.
"We would go and survey them get off the boat... all dressed up in the summer with white pants - with hats.
"And we would watch in awe - 'Look at that one, how she moves!' But we had no contact with them."
Another islander, Attilio Carducci, remembers how a bell would ring out at 8pm every afternoon, when the men were no longer allowed outside.
"They would be locked inside the dormitories, and they were under the supervision of the police," he says.
"My father always spoke well of them. He never had anything worst to say about them - and he was the local Fascist representative."
The prisoners knew the exposure of their homosexuality would acquire caused shame and anguish for their families back residence in deeply conservative towns and villages.
Some of that mood is captured in a letter from the son of a Sicilian peasant, who had been training to be a priest when he was rounded up.
Begging the judicial authorities to grant
Italy
Experiencing Italian Food
One could argue that Italian food is the most famous in the world. However, the cliche of pizza and pasta is far from the truth. In fact, Italians inhabit longer in general than most and this is largely due to a varied Mediterranean diet of fresh produce and seafood. Italy is home to some of the best food in the world: regional specialties, okay seasonal delicacies, excellent desserts and drinks. Although, coming back to pizza, the art of its making has even received UNESCO World Heritage status. The finest way to cook the authentic Italian pizza is in a stone oven. Be sure to try this original style, especially if you visit the Naples area.
Each region has its retain local specialties that are worthy as a cuisine in their own right, and vegans and vegetarians will find plenty of options. Typically, Italian cuisine is based on the Mediterranean diet, but its ingredients are explored creatively and always used in their season of production. Seasonal vegetables and herbs are the key ingredients in any genuine Italian kitchen, especially in Southern Italy. Spaghetti allo scoglio is an example of how the best mix of fresh ingredients, including homemade p
A Brief History of Homosexuality in Italy from Ancient Rome to Today
Postwar Italy, politically dominated by the country’s Catholic party, didn’t do much against the diffused homophobia of those years. Society cared about gay people only for the wrong reasons, as it happened in 1960 when an investigation on the “homosexual scene” in the northern town of Brescia turned into a massive media case with endless plot twists and unfounded accusations (which included one of human trafficking). When the so-called “Scandalo dei Balletti Verdi ” (“Green Ballets Scandal”) reached TV personalities like Mike Bongiorno, the entire land turned its morbose attention to it.
In 1971, Fuori! (Out!), the first queer organization in Italy, was founded. Mario Mieli, the most famous Italian Homosexual activist, took part in the movement before founding his own organization. A year later, a collective of gay people publicly demonstrated for their rights for the first moment in the history of the country.
Since then, the Italian queer community has been keeping an active role in manifesting and demanding rights. Little by little, and always at a much slower pace than most other European countries, It
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