He graduated from art school with a specialization in photography,[1] and began working as a photographer for Epoca magazine, travelling to several parts of the world, including war zones.[2][3]
He began co-hosting, with Ilona Staller, the radio show Voulez-vous coucher avec moi?, featuring discussions about sex, with live calls from the audience. In 1983, Schicchi and Staller (nicknamed "Cicciolina") founded the model agency Diva Futura.[2]
Schicchi established a political party, Partito dell'Amore (The Love Party), fronted by his associate Moana Pozzi, which parodied other Italian political parties. It was later identified as a counterculture movement by exponents Mauro Biuzzi and Marcella Zingarini.[4] The party supported the legalisation of brothels and improved sex education.[5]. In the 1992 general election, the Love Party, led by Pozzi, received over 16,000 votes, but did not surpass the minimum threshold for admission into the lower Chamber.[2]
Schicchi also discovered Éva Henger, who later became his wife in 1994. The couple had two children, Mercédesz (1991) and Riccardo Jr. (1994), before separating, though they never officially divorced.[2]
