Padova - Guide for Gays, Lesbians and Queers

Queer venues with a fixed address are few in Padua. The main place for men is a building on Via Domenico Turazza in the east of the city, postcode 35128. At number 19/1 is Metrò Padova, one of the best-known gay saunas in Italy, which has been running for about a quarter of a century. It has a Finnish sauna, a steam room, two jacuzzis, a maze, private cabins, a video room, a bar serving snacks and, in summer, a garden with a sun terrace. Massages are offered every day.

In the same building, at number 19, are the Hot Dog Club, a men-only club, and the Flexo Padova Club. All of these places are run as private members' clubs. To get in you need an ARCO membership card. ARCO is an Italian network that other clubs around the country also belong to.

There is no well-documented queer bar or café in the old town. Outside the clubs, the local point of contact is Arcigay Tralaltro Padova, the Padua branch of the Arcigay network. It co-organises Padova Pride, holds cultural evenings and assemblies, and sees itself as a link between associations and community spaces in the city.

Arcigay's national headquarters are in Bologna.

On the legal side, same-sex couples in Italy can enter a civil union, the unione civile, which carries almost all the rights of marriage but not joint adoption. Workplace discrimination based on sexual orientation is banned, and legal gender can be changed without sterilisation.