The man accused of running a lewd website that published sexualised photos of dozens of Italian women, including Premier Giorgia Meloni, has been identified in Florence.
The site, Phica.eu, also featured manipulated images of actresses, influencers, and centre-left politicians, sparking vulgar and sexist comments. Florence Mayor Sara Funaro, one of the women targeted, filed the complaint that led to the breakthrough.
Police identified the administrator of the lewd website as 45-year-old Vittorio Vitiello, born in Pompei and owner of a small company since 2023. He was questioned in Florence on Tuesday.
The left-leaning newspaper Domani first named Vitiello, who runs an events and advertising firm in the Tuscan capital.
A class action lawsuit has been launched by marriage counsellor and family lawyer Annamaria Bernardini. She said hundreds of women had contacted her about Phica.eu, which she described as having “gang raped” them online. Bernardini said she also expects reports about another recently closed site, Mia Moglie (My Wife), which had attracted similar abuse.
Mayor Funaro welcomed the news. “This is good news,” she said. “We await the outcome of the investigation, but I thank the authorities for the speed with which they identified the alleged perpetrator.”
She stressed that her complaint was not only for herself but for all women. “I urge everyone to report incidents like this. It is violence, even if it happens in the unregulated world of the web. Those who commit these shameful acts should be the ones who feel ashamed.”
