Site Details:

Andrea Nobili probably has a name for being a straight porn director, but there is a lot more to him and the studio than that. His ‘Productions’ site features transsexuals, so he’s not shy of trying something new and different, and here his ‘Gay’ site is doing pretty well when compared to other gay sites around. What you’re looking at is a European porn studio that’s added a gay offering to its collection of sites, and one that is offering you the chance to access it along with the Tranny and straight sex sites. So it’s a package that’s going to suit the ladies, and curious guys sitting on both sides of the fence.

It’s also a site that offers us a rare chance to see genuine Italian men in porn. These are not all porn models. Well, at least they’re being paid by the studio, we assume, but they have a definite ring of amateur about them. These are ordinary guys in duo and orgy sex scenes, they are all Italian and decent looking, and the whole thing comes across as being a great fun, horny, amateur site. The content is exclusive, you have movies and galleries, two updates per week are promised on the tour, and you get those bonuses to access too – if you call a straight site a bonus when you are buying into a gay hardcore site.

The first time you log in to Italian Gay you will land at the Andrea Nobili portal/home page. This will show you straight sex, but don’t panic. Over to the right is the column that holds the links to the other sites and the one you want is there. Simply click it and the page will change. Now you will find the real home page where you are welcomed with a couple of sample shots from recent movies, and then a set of eight sample shots showing what’s coming soon. The site takes its updates seriously and you will also find a calendar in the top menu; this outlines the coming updates for you.

While you’re in the top menu you also find links to videos and screenshots, a link to a page of recommended sites (not free, just adverts really) and to help. Click to the movies and you start browsing through numbered index pages that also come with a search area; you simply try out keywords until you find what you want. Each movie is shown with a thumbnail picture and its upload date, and they also come with titles.

Individual viewing pages follow the same format in that there are two streaming options (Flash and Quicktime) and a decent sized screen with three choices of resolution, and then a text list of download options beneath. While you are here you are able to rate the scene, there are tag words to help you find anything similar and, if available, there are links to any photo galleries and screenshots. When you find galleries there are zip file downloads to be had, as well as online viewing options that include slideshows.

This is an easy site to navigate and the design is very simple. There are adverts dotted around but they do not get in the way. There is also a help button which never lets you alone, and that is a bit annoying, but you learn to ignore it after a while.

And when it comes to what you actually see in the members' area: you currently have 52 scenes that date back, at the time of writing, six months which well and truly bears out the claim that there are two updates per week at this site. The site only started six months ago and it bit the ground running with good viewing options: those Quicktime and Flash streams in three qualities, from 200 to 800k; WMV downloads and mobile versions are also available. The highest resolution I found in use was 640 x 360 @ 1092 Kbps, where the quality was decent enough for me and where I had no complaints.

I didn’t find myself wanting to complain about the action either. There are some cute, younger twinks here, some playing just with themselves, others with toys and pumps. There are some nice couplings of lean and hairy guys, and there is more than a fair share of group scenes. On page one of the list was a five-way and a threesome, with six duos, a solo and a CBT scene too. I should mention that this studio also goes in for some fetish work, which it does very well. Page two brought me four couples and five group or orgy scenes, and page three was six couples and three groups with some fetish and some S&M added in to. So you have variety but you also have real Italian men and some of these boys are well hung. Not all are the infamous ‘stallion’ types, which is actually vey nice to see; these are ordinary, amateur guys doing a porn-star role in most cases, and that comes across well.

So, no complaints about the content itself. There are the screen caps too don’t forget. Whether you access them from the top menu or from the video pages, you find galleries to browse online where images are shown at 720 x 480, and where you have over 200 pics per set. The quality isn’t wonderful as these are screen shots, taken from the cameras, so there may be some blurred movement and so on, but they do capture the action and atmosphere.

You have to think around the bonus issue a bit; if you’re only into gay sites then a tranny site and two straight sex sites are not bonuses; but if you’re up for all kinds of stuff (or gay and wanting to see some straight dicks) then you’re doing ok with the extra sites.

Pros:

• Exclusive content;
• Two updates every week;
• Genuine, amateur Italian guys;
• Lots of video viewing options;
• Three bonus sites.

Cons:

• Bonus sites are not gay;
• Image galleries hold screen caps only;
• No forum or comments facility.

I’d say that Italian Gay was pretty rough and ready, in a good way. There is nothing fancy or complicated about the design or presentation, and nothing false about the guys and scenes. These come across as genuine, ordinary men who happen to be Italian and in gay hardcore shoots. You've got good choices for viewing the videos and there are slideshows with the galleries which are, sadly, only screen caps. There is not a lot of information about the men so you don’t spend time reading, you simply find the next hot scene and watch, or download and keep. And with two updates each week, it’s worth staying around.

At first I was sceptical as I know this studio from its girlie reputation and I wondered how well they would handle the gay sex aspect. But they do it well. They’ve got some standard settings: gym locker rooms and so on, but that’s ok. It’s good that there are so many group scenes though sometimes the focus is lost, in that I wasn't sure where I should be looking. But all round, a good site and well worth a look.

Not a place where you can get very involved though and some of us like to write down what we think, Not many people do I know, but I do and you can’t here. It is very simple, very ‘rough and ready’ as you say, there’s nothing fancy and they could do with getting rid of that help button, it got on my nerves a lot. But that was about the only thing. I don’t think it’s expensive and you get two new, full length scenes each week.

Hot to watch some horny Italian men and these do look like real, off-the-street guys to me. Not all tall and lean, smooth and hung studs that we usually see. Some nice hairy asses too and some ordinary sized cocks. All perfect really, all amateur, great stuff and some scenes with so many men in them you don’t know where to look first.