Visiting Pompeii feels like stepping back in time. Located just 30 minutes from Naples, the city is famously linked to Mount Vesuvius, whose catastrophic eruption in 79 AD buried Pompeii under layers of ash and mud, preserving it in extraordinary detail. This natural seal protected houses, streets, artworks, and everyday objects for centuries. In 1738, King Charles of Bourbon ordered the beginning of archaeological excavations, revealing one of the most important archaeological sites in the world—now open for visitors to explore.

Accompanied by one of our gay-friendly guides, you will discover lesser-known stories about LGBTQ+ life in Ancient Roman society, guided by a series of untold histories rarely discussed during traditional visits.

The remarkably preserved decorations, frescoes, graffiti, and sculptures offer valuable insight into Roman attitudes toward the body, desire, and pleasure. In Ancient Pompeii, sensuality was considered a gift from the gods, and sexual imagery was part of daily life. As you walk through houses and streets, you will encounter artworks depicting explicit sexual scenes, including same-sex relationships, openly displayed in domestic and public spaces.

One of the most striking examples is found in the House of the Vettii, where a famous fresco depicts Priapus, son of Aphrodite and Dionysus, weighing his enormous phallus against a bag of coins. This image symbolizes prosperity, fertility, and abundance, revealing how the male body was associated with wealth and good fortune.

In the House of the Cryptoporticus, you can also see the plaster cast of a couple embracing. Modern DNA analysis has revealed that the figures were, in fact, two men, offering a rare and moving testimony of same-sex intimacy in the ancient world.

Throughout the visit, you will hear stories of Roman daily life and its strong Greek cultural influences. In Roman society, same-sex relationships were often linked to power and social status, while marriage primarily served as a social and reproductive institution. Although heterosexual relationships were the norm, homosexual practices were widespread, and the Latin language itself did not clearly distinguish between heterosexual and homosexual identities as we understand them today.

In 2020, a significant archaeological discovery brought to light a perfectly preserved thermopolium—an ancient street food shop. Among its frescoes and inscriptions, a graffiti was found reading “Nicia, cinaedus cacator”, likely referring to a person who engaged in sexual relationships with both men and women, in both active and passive roles. This inscription offers yet another glimpse into the complex and openly discussed nature of sexuality in Pompeii.

Same-sex relationships were also common among Rome’s most powerful figures. Julius Caesar was famously mocked by Cicero as “the husband of all wives and the wife of all husbands” and earned the nickname “Queen of Bithynia” after his alleged relationship with King Nicomedes IV. Similar accounts exist for emperors such as Tiberius, Caligula, and Nero, but perhaps the most well-known story is that of Emperor Hadrian and his deep emotional bond with his young lover Antinous, whose image was immortalized throughout the empire.