Museum Milano

This tour at the Museum of Hendrik Christian Andersen will show you one of the greatest collections in homosexual history in Rome.

Hendrik Christian Andersen was an American sculptor, painter and urban designer from Norway.
Andersen was born in Bergen, Norway, in 1872. As a child, he emigrated with his family in Newport, Rhode Island, the following year. In 1893, Andersen traveled to Europe to study art and ended up in Rome, settling for the rest of his life.
In Rome, he had a lot of friends including painters and writers. He developed a passion for art and much of his work was made for the project of a Perfect World City, the “City-World”, full of art, and that would motivate humanity to pursue a utopy.
In 1899, Andersen met Henry James, the American writer and patriot. Although James was about 30 years older, the two developed an intense relationship that lasted until the death of James in 1915. Although the precise nature of this relationship is still subject to dispute, the two exchanged numerous letters that show a very tight homoerotic love, perhaps best illustrated by a letter to James Andersen, following the death of the latter’s brother. dated 9 February 1902, in which James wrote:
" The fact that I can not help you, see you, talk to you, touch you, hold you tight for a long time or do anything to reassure you and make you feel my deep participation – this torments me, dear boy, it makes me ache for you and for myself; I’m screeching teeth and groaning against the bitterness of these things […]"
Andersen died in Rome in 1940, donating his house ( “Villa Helene”), the study, documents and more than 400 works to the Italian Government.
His house has been restored and converted into a museum and contains much of the work of Andersen, as well as those of other artists and contemporary photographers, his friends and acquaintances.

Florence gay tour Renaissance History! Visit two splendid museums in Florence, where you discover the whole history of Florentine Renaissance art, from Donatello to Cellini – as well as the dense gay history of Renaissance Florence.
Start in the morning at the Bargello, and enjoy several key male nude sculptures from the Renaissance, including Donatello’s David – the first freestanding male nude after Greek-Roman times; plunge into the Accademia Gallery, and meet some of the most famous painters of Renaissance: from Cimabue to Giotto, to Botticelli, the painter of the ‘Primavera’ (‘Springtime’). The masterwork here is the ‘David’ by Michelangelo: his naked beauty is breathtaking. His face seems concentrated on the enemy and his muscles are ready to sprint.
Turn to the Medici neighborhood, where we will discuss the family’s amazing record as ‘gayfriendly’ art patrons while visiting their original palace and their funerary chapel, where Michelangelo carved some of his greatest sculptures.

Naples is a city of art and history: many artists from all over the world lived here.
Naples was found by the Greeks and then became part of the Roman society.
During our Untold History Tour, you will visit the Naples Archaeological Museum. Here you will see the amazing collection of frescoes and statues that were excavated in Pompeii and some nearby sites. The Museum also has some fabulous homoerotic pieces, including the statue of Harmodios and Aristogeiton, the male-male couple who were revered as the founders of the Athenian democracy.
The idea of love between men was deeply settled in the early Greek culture. Even Greek gods or heroes had affairs with men or boys according to the historical remains. Zeus for instance, leader of the pantheon, was renowned for his capture of Ganymede. In addition, Achilles and Patroclus were known for their prowess as warriors, by later poets and dramatists as lovers.
Athenian democracy began with the overthrow of the rulers known as the “tyrants”. As stated in Boswell’s “Same Sex-Unions in Pre-Modern Europe”: this overthrow was the base towards Greek democracy and it was narrated by Plato to two lovers, Harmodius and Aristogiton.

A thens at the time was under the control of two tyrants, the brother Hipparchus and Hippias. Hipparchus made a pass at Harmodius, which was rejected…After he had been rejected a second time, Hipparchus retaliated against him. Then the two lovers got up a conspiracy to overthrow the two. In later years, they were so famous that they were the first men ever to have statues built to them in the public square of Athens. They had images of those statues printed on the city’s coinage as well. These images has been identified with democracy in Athens in the same way as the Statue of Liberty, in New York. They were dedicated a popular song, recorded by Athenaeus 700 years later. Miltiades used their memory to inspire his troops before the battle of Marathon, saluting them as “Athens’ greatest heroes.” Callisthenes, described them as the most honored men amongst Athenians, because they destroyed one of the tyrants and the tyranny. Demosthenes called them “the men to whom, in requital of their glorious deeds, you have allotted by statute a share of your libations and drink-offerings in every temple and at every public service, whom, in hymns and in worship, you treat as the equals of gods and demigods”.

Plato clearly linked their action to their love, and had some harsh words against critics to their orientation –those whom we today would call the “homophobes”. Here’s Plato:

“Our own tyrants learnt this lesson. Through bitter experience, when the love between Aristogiton and Harmodius grew so strong that it shattered their power”.

Plato states clearly that the power of the tyrants was “shattered” by the strengthening love of two men. He continues with some observations about the origins of opposition to same sex love, which are pertinent to modern homophobia too:

“Wherever, therefore, it has been established that it is shameful to be involved in sexual relationships with men, this is due to evil on the part of the legislators, and to despotism on the part of the rulers, and to cowardice on the part of the governed. “

Homophobia originates in evil, despotism, and cowardice. Cowardice? But, wait, isn’t that typical of those weird queers, aren’t they the sissies? That’s not how the ancients saw it, and they had evidence on their side, evidence from the military record. The Greeks were familiar with male lovers amongst their heroes: from Zeus himself, head of all gods, who had abducted Ganymede to be his lover and cupbearer, through Achilles and Patroclus, celebrated by Homer for their bravery and for their love, and also Iolaus, companion of Hercules and participant in his celebrated labors, by whose tomb pairs of lovers were said to pledge their commitments to each other.

The Irish poet (1954-1900) is reckoned as the icon of transgression, nonconformity and a major expression of the nineteenth century European Decadentism.
His intrepid homosexuality brought him to jail and, in order to find a place where to live and love, he travelled abroad. Italy was one of his preferred destination, maybe because Italy was quite poor and tolerant in regards to sexual matters.
Oscar Wilde arrives in Naples in 1897. He calls himself Sebastian Melmoth, in order not be recognized, but in vain: Matilde Serao, a wellknown Italian writer and Journalist publishes that it seemed ‘Oscar Wilde is in town’. He travels with his young boyfriend, Alfred Douglas ‘Bosie’, who was his great love and ruin. They lived at ‘ Villa Giudice’ in Posillipo (now private residence) and used to meet local boys and men there.
During his stay in Naples, Wilde used to sit at many coffee tables, such as at Gambrinus and at Hotel Parker’s, meeting British tourists, who were curious to see this fellow with a ‘damned soul’.
Wilde was attracted by the beauty of the city, its mild winter climate and by its culture embedded in Greek and Roman history. The National Archaeological Museum of Naples fascinated him with its huge collection of homoerotic statues.
Persecutions against Wilde for his homosexuality never ended. It was extremely difficult for him to have his works translated and represented in theatre. He left Naples for Paris, where he died in poverty in 1900.

A convenient hydrofoil leaving form Molo Beverello in Naples (where the cruise docks) takes you to Capri , one of the most enchanting islands in the Mediterranean Sea. It is still a top destination for international travelers, but its celebrity roots back to the 19th and 20th century, when its gorgeous natural beauty attracted rich visitors from Northern Europe. Some of them were artists or art collectors, who found here the best place to live and to freely express their identity.
h. 8.45 AM - Your guide meets and greets you at the Naples port when catching the hydrofoil to Capri.
Here you are invited to a boat tour along the Capri shore, for a couple of hours. Light lunch and plenty of beverages on board. Do not forget your towel and bath suit!
In the afternoon, move to Anacapri by chairlift. Here the ‘ Villa San Michele ’ is now the museum of doctor Axel Munthe. The villa has a breathtaking view on the sea and it includes an original Egyptian stone sphynx dating back to Ramses II’s reign.
After Villa San Michele, you reach the port with your guide and catch the hydrofoil on your way back to Naples port.

Meet your driver and guide at Naples port. In the morning, visit Pompeii , the city frozen in stone, and a time capsule of Greek and Roman culture. Discover the ruins of the Vesuvius eruption in 79 A.D., men and women preserved forever in ashes. Visit houses, streets and thermal baths adorned with artwork depicting explicit sex scenes and homosexual relationships.
Enjoy stories of day-to-day Roman life and its important Greek influences. The ancient Greek’s veneration of male lovers deeply influenced life in ancient Pompeii. Same sex love was expression of power and maleness, while marriage was often just a pretext and mechanism to have children.
Transfer back to Naples.
Lunch is not included – Street food available
In the afternoon, visit the Archeological Museum in Naples and enjoy the narration of our gay/gay-friendly guide. Get skip-the-line tickets and discover the Greek and Roman culture of the ‘beautiful body’.
The amazing collection of frescoes and statues that were excavated in Pompeii and some nearby sites include this fresco of Sappho , the lesbian Greek poet, painted holding a stylus in deep contemplation of the viewer.
The Museum also has some fabulous homoerotic pieces, including the statue of Harmodius and Aristogeiton, the male-male couple who were revered as the founders of the Athenian democracy.
Learn about the idea of love between men in the early Greek culture. Many Greek gods and heroes had affairs with men or boys according to historical information. Zeus , king of the gods and leader of the pantheon, was renowned for his capture of Ganymede , god of homosexuality. Achilles and Patroclus were known by poets and dramatists for their prowess as warriors on the battlefield, and as passionate and voracious lovers.