Born at Castiglion Fiorentino, he was the most famous "sodomite" of his day. Having a special talent to improvise verses, he toured, from 1813 on, ltaly, France and England with his performances in theatre. Somebody from the audience proposed him a subject and he improvised a sonnet, an ode or even a short tragedy.

In 1819 he was about being proclaimed "poet laureate" in Rome, but was exiled in Florence because of his critics to the Pope's government. In Florence he obtains a life annuity from the Grand Duke.

Tommaso Sgricci would not be remembered for his "poetry", of no great worth, but thank to him being a "sodomite" he remains in the history of literature...

The scandal he arose with his behaviour, openly homosexual, certainly contruibuted to make him famous. Was he a forerunner of "gay pride" or just a cunning fellow, who thought that scandal could add at his fame?

One of his known lovers was his valet and servant, Tognino, who was then replaced by one Ligurino, a more gentle and refined young man. The poet Vincenzo Monti found the poor Tognino sad and alone in the antichamber, and in the bedroom saw Sgricci in bed embraced with that beautiful boy, and he compares the couple to Eurialus and Nisus...

The poet Giovanni Giraud wrote about Sricci this epigram:

Also the poet Belli, in his sonnet Er cardinale solomito (The Sodomite Cardinal) talks about Sgricci:

Com'è ito a ffiniì, ppe' sti crapicci, quer tar prelato? ... Morse e sse n'aggnéde a aspettà ar callo er zor Tomasso Sgricci

What was the fate For his whims Of that prelate? ... He died and went To wait in Hell For mr. Tommaso Sgricci

Also George Byron writes from Ravenna about Sgricci as a "famous sodomite" and he adds that there people laughs, instead of sending sodomites to stake.

Even after his death we find epigrams about him, like this of the poet Filippo Pananti:

Batillo il tragico dai finti allori stuprava Apolline a posteriori. Or per giustissimo decreto eterno stuprollo Satana rege d'Averno.

The tragic Batillus By the fake laurels Fuked Apollo On his back, Now for a rightful Eternal decree He's fucked by Satan King of the Hell.

Source: the magazine Babilonia # 133, May 1995