We are Schiara, a group of four friends from very different backgrounds and who somehow have created this informal LGBTQIA+ group that we like to describe as trash-intellectual. We met during the organization of Padova Pride 2018 and we decided to continue our commitment through cultural projects (for example here and here). 

In September 2022, during a great Erasmus transhumance, we met an Azeri guy, who said to us: "How many LGBTQIA+ clubs are there in Padua! More than in Amsterdam!". We don't know if Padua really has more places than Amsterdam (or if it makes sense to make this comparison), but this episode made us aware of how a provincial reality like Padua had a rich and diversified rainbow life and community. From this alchemical encounter, "The QueerRoads", the rainbow map of Padua, was born.

Researching information on the history and culture of the city, going from archive to archive, we met Don Michele Visentin, a lover of LGBT history, who enriched and elevated our project and whom we really thank for this.

For us, creating a map of the LGBTQIA+ places in Padua means enhancing our city and raising awareness of the historic role of the rainbow community within the city walls and beyond. This is meant to be an invitation to see how lively and extensive (and often even conflictual) the Paduan community is. Moreover, we invite you to rethink the Italian province as a cultural magma that has nothing to envy to larger and more well-known contexts.

We hope that you enjoyed the QueerRoads of Padua and that it can improve with your content and advice. If you have any suggestions to enrich the map, if you are part of an association/collective that would like to replicate this project in your city or if you just want to insult us, please contact us! We will be happy.

Attention: Soon we will organize a walking tour to explore the city together. Send us an email for more information.