‘Oh God, I fancy a priest’, we all said this along with fleabag watching Andrew Scott in the series. Now along with tourists to Rome, the whole world is getting fancied over the hot priest Roman Calendar. The 2023 calendars already became publishing hits.
Roman tourists going crazy over Colosseum, stare at the Sistine Chapel . . . and snap up a calendar of hot priests. The Calendario Romano, a fixture of tacky tourist stores and news kiosks in the eternal city. It is entering its 20th year featuring a familiar collection of broody priests shot in black and white, one for each month. The €7 calendar is the brainchild of Piero Pazzi, 60, a Venetian photographer.
And it is that this hot priest calendar is nothing new for those who had travelled to Rome since it is one of the best sellers. And has been printed since 2003 when the first issue, dated 2004. Which came out with photographs of 12 handsome priests with religious clothing. A part of the Catholic Church has given an unexpected twist to the traditional calendars of beautiful women. To adapts them to their reality and introduce us to 12 sexy priests. The photographer responsible for the publication Piero Pazzi. Indeed assures that they are real priests who illustrate this almanac, of which some 75,000 copies are printed annually. Pazzi started the project as a labour of love. Photographing nameless men of the cloth in black and white against an often-liturgical backdrop.
Calendar of the “sexy priests”
Some wear a Cappello Romano (a type of wide-brimmed hat), others a clerical collar. While the favoured priest for December always remains the same: pictured holding a copy of Le vie di Roma close to this cassocked chest:
Pazzi not only sells them at Vatican newsstands and souvenir shops but also distributes them worldwide from his website. Announcing that it is “the most characteristic souvenir of the Eternal City.” And charging 10 euros for them, plus, shipping costs. Its official name is the Roman Calendar, which also provides the information “for the tourist who visits Rome. Meanwhile, giving general and unknown notions”.
That is one of the missions of the publication; However, the calendar of the “sexy priests”. As they have already nicknamed it on Twitter. It seems to be more interesting for the handsome men. Moreover, appear in the images than for the information that is detailed in it:
The reactions that the tweet has provoked are the most varied. The comments that highlight the beauty of the protagonists. Those that are reminiscent of other famous “sexy priests” such as Fleabag. And those that have uncovered something that perhaps not everyone knew about the calendar. The photographs remain the same since they were released. edited the first time.
In March, the boy who came out already denounced in 2008 that this photograph had been taken without his consent. This is David Ruíz Suárez from Seville, who was 21 years old and participating in a procession. Still, he is not a priest: “Of course, I am not a priest. They were confused when they saw me dressed in a tunic. Criticised the young man, indignant at that Pazzi had stolen the photograph for profit.