Every summer in the Trade Fair complex in Via Tommaseo, Padua houses the largest Lgbt event in Italy: Padova Pride Village, a mix of music, events and entertainment.
Starting in 2008, this has become a fixed point of the summer calendar in Padua, attracting thousands of people for an aperitif or dinner, for an encounter with friends or the chance to go to a concert or a drag queen show. And, of course, there is music produced by DJs from some of the best clubs in the world.
An assertion of the rights of Italy’s Lgbt community, this event brings people together in firm rejection of homophobia. It is a mix of culture and spectacle, events and cultural initiatives, which reflects how Padua has long distinguished itself for its openness and sense of freedom. It is no accident if, way back in 2007, the weekly magazine ‘Panorama’ defined Padua as the St. Francis of Italy”; nor that Padua was one of the first cities in Italy to recognise same-sex wedding certificates.
Founded in 1222, the University of Padua has long set the world an example of freedom and tolerance. And with its lively university life, its wealth of culture and music, its wide array of gay-friendly bars and clubs – and one of the most active Arcigay groups in Italy – Padua is an ideal destination for those looking for a holiday that combines culture and entertainment.
Padua is a good place to visit at any time of the year, but it is perhaps at its liveliest during the ‘rainbow months’ from June to September, when Pride Village is in full swing.
More information here.