When it comes to religion, Rome is the mothership, the epicenter of the Catholic Church since the Protestant Reformation in 1517, and prior to that the center of western Christianity. There’s a church on every street corner (though we’re convinced that they’re outnumbered, if only slightly, but the vast collection of lingerie stores), priests and nuns stroll the streets, and it’s not uncommon to see a cardinal strolling across Piazza San Pietro or tucking in for a long lunch at a little trattoria.
Over the course of the past few years, pious pilgrims (along with less devout visitors) to the Eternal City have been eagerly snapping up a new souvenir that allows them to take a bit of the city’s religious scenery home with them. A calendar created by photographer and Venetian gondolier Piero Pazzi (crazy Peter? That can’t be a real name!) features 12 artful images of what appear to be pretty priests. The word on the street suggests that the cute clerics posing in front of Roman religious monuments are really models, though rumor also suggests that one of the pin-ups is actually a priest.
The Calendario Romano can be purchased at almost any souvenir stand in Rome’s City Center. Piero Pazzi’s website lists worldwide distributors and offers promotions for bulk purchases though he doesn’t seem to accept credit card payment, while this website in Great Britian does accept credit cards and makes a contribution to the Food Chain for every calendar purchased. As well, the 2008 calendar has been published by Universe Publishing in the United States.
