Milo Manara's erotic fresco hidden in a Marche café

In the Vecchio Caffè Maretto in Civitanova Marche, a vaulted ceiling is covered with an erotic fresco by Milo Manara, one of Italy's most celebrated comic artists. Commissioned in 2001 by former owner and TV host Natasha Stefanenko, the work depicts dozens of sensual female figures amid clouds, evoking a secular paradise. Manara created the site-specific piece with students Tania Bettucci, Creazioni-Artistiche Samanta Tania, Ombretta Capradossi, and Massimo Melchiorri. The fresco survives despite renovations and changes of management. The café is located under the loggias of Palazzo Sforza, a 19th-century summer residence built by Duke Lorenzo Sforza-Cesarini in 1862. Manara, known for his erotic comics featuring characters like Jolanda de Almaviva, Claudia, and Miele, has always defended his portrayal of women as active subjects. The work has been nicknamed the "Sistine Chapel" of the Marche region.