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Lady Gaga arrived in Rome on Saturday for a gay rights parade at which hundreds of thousands are set to voice their defiance against the Vatican and Silvio Berlusconi's 'backward' government.
Organisers of the EuroPride event say they want to stress that Italy is a laggard in terms of gay rights in Europe, with no specific laws against homophobic violence and no provision for gay civil unions.
Paolo Patane, director of Italian activist group Arcigay, said he hoped the parade would help 'push out' the Berlusconi government, which is already reeling from a humiliating defeat in local elections this month.
The leaders of two small opposition parties - Italy of Values and Left, Ecology and Freedom - have said they will attend the parade, which also comes on the eve of referendums that will again challenge the government.
Organisers say they are expecting around a million people at the parade, while police forecasts range between 300,000 and 500,000. Tight security measures are in place to prevent any possible outbreaks of violence.
A small protest is planned by a religious group calling itself 'Militia Christi,' and Catholic politicians have warned Lady Gaga, a vocal advocate of gay rights, against making provocative statements about the pope.
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