Shock calendar presented in Florence

Italian photographer Oliviero Toscani launched  a calendar  featuring 12 penis close-ups in an ad for a group of companies that make naturally-tanned leather.

The presentation took place yerday in Florence, Italy, attended by famous Italian porn star Rocco Siffredi, who said that people should “de-dramatise” sex and put an end to “bigotry”.

Toscani last year focused on women’s genitalia for a calendar for the same Vera Pelle consortium, which brought censure from Italy’s advertising watchdog. Feminists argued that the graphic images offended female dignity.

Toscani is best known for his controversial ad campaigns for the Italian clothes maker Benetton, which itself courted controversy last year with a series of photo montages of rival world leaders kissing each other.