The mayor of Naples has been urged to get rid of a 40ft-tall sculpture that was meant to evoke an iconic cultural figure but instead has been mocked as resembling a giant penis.

The sculpture, which was put up this week, is supposed to evoke Pulcinella, a crooked-nosed character from Neapolitan commedia dell’arte theatre of the 17th century, which in Britain inspired Mr Punch from Punch and Judy puppet shows.

The artwork is based on a design created by Gaetano Pesce, an Italian sculptor and designer who died in New York in April at the age of 84. But to the tittering amusement of many Neapolitans, it appeared to more closely resemble a towering phallus.