Beach
Il Buco (Capocotta)
in Rome, Italy
Rome's unofficial gay beach among the dunes of the Capocotta nature reserve near Lido di Ostia, marked by rainbow flags; nudity is common, about an hour away by train and bus.
Where it is
Il Buco is a stretch of beach within the Capocotta nature reserve on the coast at Ostia, about 30 km southwest of central Rome.
Address: Piazza dei Cavalieri di Malta, 00153 Rome
What it is
Il Buco is the well-known gay, free section of Capocotta beach, with fine sand, dunes and a naturist character. There is almost no infrastructure, so bring water and food; it is reached via the Litoranea coast road between Ostia and Torvaianica.
History
The name 'Il Buco' ('the hole') dates from the 1970s, when the first visitors reached the then-remote beach through a hole in a fence. Thanks to its unspoilt dune landscape it quickly became popular with naturists. Over the decades it grew into an established meeting point for Rome's LGBT community.