The Italian stallion,,,no more!

The legendary Italian stallion appears to be losing his libido. More and more men in the birthplace of Valentino prefer a book at bedtime rather than a passionate end to the day, according to a new study .

Visits to sexologists in Italy have gone up 15% in the past four years, says the Institute of Clinical Sexuality in Rome. And the number of men seeking help for loss of libido has soared 40%. Dr Roberta Rossi of the Sexuality Institute said, “Ten years ago our clients were predominantly women. Then men started to come -those who began to realize that Viagra could resolve certain problems but not a loss of desire.Drugs like Viagra have an effect on erections but not on libido.“

She added that researchers were still trying to explain the trend. She said, however, that loss of desire in men was usually accompanied by social problems. But the changing male-fe male role is not the only factor that has been linked to such sexual problems in Italian men .

In March 2011, another study , involving 28,000 people, suggested that more and more young Italian men were suffering from “sexual anorexia“ and were unable to get erections due to excessive internet porn use from their mid-teens. The condition, however, is said to be reversible.

While diminutive leaders such as Mussolini and Berlusconi might have helped create an Ital ian reputation for gargantuan sexual appetites, other evidence suggests Italian men are less sure of their prowess than believed.

Last year, one of Italy's top clinics specializing in penis enlargement revealed the number of men seeking surgical assistance was rising 25% every year.

As more proof emerges on the surprising problem, sexperts are doing all they can. In January , Rome's Tor Vergata University is even staging a “week of sexual wellbeing“.