Travel company offers gay-themed tours of the Vatican

A gay travel company has launched a tour of the Vatican which offers a different perspective on some of the world’s most famous pieces of art.

Tour company Quiiky began offering The Untold History tour in November, with a focus on the sexuality of classical and Renaissance art and artists.

Alessio Virgili, the chief executive of Quiiky and head of the Italian Association of Gay Tourism, admitted that the tour doesn’t have an official seal of approval from the Vatican.

“Our tours are made with recognised guides but without formal agreement of the Vatican. We are in a free country and what we tell has foundations. The news in Italy at the time did not create a stir and we have not received complaints from the Vatican,” he explained.

The tour pays particular attention to the work of Michelangelo, who was responsible for the famous ceiling in the Sistine Chapel. He was a gay man, but until recently many official sources ignored that fact.

“He was a devout Catholic and at the same time a homosexual, with a constant feeling of guilt and inner conflicts reflected in his works.

“When we look at the Sistine Chapel’s ‘Last Judgment’, our guides do not fail to show at the top right two male figures who kiss to celebrate the ascent into heaven,” Virgili said.

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