C o m m e m o r a t i v e    C o i n s  
 
Italien
The edge embossing on the Italian 2‐Euro‐commemorative coins is :
 Italian mint mark :
 
Image Country Date Feature Ref. Volume  
 
🔎		 Italy 13 Dec. 2004 Fifth Decade of the World Food Programme 20001
20002
20005 		16,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) began its work in 1963 ‐ its headquarters are in Rome. The humanitarian organisation is the most important institution of the United Nations in the fight against global hunger. It organises the supply of food to people in need after natural disasters, droughts or violent conflicts. In addition, the WFP also helps people in areas with a permanently poor nutritional situation and carries out development projects there. A globe tilted to the right with the inscription "WORLD FOOD PROGRAMME" forms the centre of the motif. Three ears of corn emerge behind it: maize, rice and wheat represent the world's staple foods. The ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is depicted on the right, the ligatured initials "UP" of the designer Uliana Pernazza below, the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome on the left and the year of issue "2004" below. The twelve stars of Europe surround this design in three groups of four stars, separated by the three ears of corn.
 
🔎		 Italy 29 Oct. 2005 1st anniversary of the signing of the European Constitution 20001
20002
20005 		18,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The draft Treaty establishing a Constitution for Europe was drawn up by a European Convention in 2003 and signed by the heads of state and government of the EU member states in Rome on the 29th of October 2004. Compared to the previously valid Treaty of Nice, the EU was to receive additional competences; furthermore, its institutional structure was to be changed in order to make it more democratic and capable of acting. However, since not all member states ratified the treaty after failed referendums in France and the Netherlands, it did not attain legal force. Instead, in December 2007, European leaders concluded the Treaty of Lisbon, which entered into force on the 1st of December 2009. Europa and Zeus in the shape of a bull are the motif of the coin, together with the Constitution for Europe depicted as a book. Europa holds a quill above the Constitution, symbolic of its signing. The ring shows the issue occasion "COSTITUZIONE EUROPEA" (European Constitution) in the lower part, while the twelve stars of Europe fill its upper half. The ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is shown at the bottom of the pill, the year "2005" at the top right. The "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome is at the top left. The initials "M.C.C." of the medallist Maria Carmela Colaneri are at the bottom left.
 
🔎		 Italy 10 Feb. 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin 2006 20001
20002
20005 		40,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The 2006 Winter Olympics were held in Turin, with the Alpine skiing competitions taking place in Sestriere, at an altitude of around 2,000 metres. The coin, designed by Maria Carmela Colaneri, shows an alpine skier and Turin's landmark, the Mole Antonelliana, built between 1863 and 1889. Initially planned as a synagogue by architect Alessandro Antonelli, the out‐of‐control construction costs exceeded the financial strength of the Jewish community ‐ in 1877, thanks to a citizens' initiative, the building was taken over by the city of Turin. Today it houses the National Film Museum. At the top, the event is called "GIOCHI INVERNALI" (Winter Games) and below the tower "TORINO" (Turin) as the venue of the sporting event. To the right of the skier is the year of issue "2006" written vertically and below it are the designer's initials "M.C.C.". To the right of the tower the name of the state is depicted as the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The coin was minted in an exceptionally high mintage of 40 million pieces.
 
🔎		 Italy 25 Mar. 2007 50th anniversary of the Signature of the Treaty of Rome 20001
20002
20005 		5.000.000  
 

 
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Description : The Treaty establishing the European Community, called the Treaty of Rome (originally called the Treaty establishing the European Economic Community and renamed the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union in December 2009) was signed on 25 March 1957 by Belgium, the Federal Republic of Germany, France, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands at the Conservatory Palace in Rome. It came into force on 1st of January 1958. At the same time two other treaties were concluded, the Treaty establishing the European Atomic Energy Community, which established EURATOM, and the Agreement on Institutions Common to the European Communities, which stipulated that the European Economic Community (EEC), the European Atomic Energy Community (EURATOM) and the European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) had a common parliamentary assembly (now the European Parliament), a common Court of Justice and a common Economic and Social Committee. On the 5th of May 2006, EU Commissioner Joaquín Almunia and Eurogroup President Jean‐Claude Juncker announced the first transnational 2‐Euro commemorative coin to mark the 50th anniversary of the Treaty of Rome. The directors of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato, the Spanish mint Real Casa de la Moneda and the Austrian Mint Münze Österreich AG met in Vienna to exchange ideas. The ideas were presented and amalgamated into a design by the commissioned engraver Helmut Andexlinger, after approval he produced a model of the coin. It shows the treaty with the signatures of the representatives from the six founding states, framed by the pavement pattern of the Capitol Square in Rome, designed by Michelangelo where the treaty was signed. On the German version of the coin the commemorative event is called "RÖMISCHE VERTRÄGE", on the Italian "TRATTATI DI ROMA" ‐ the other eleven euro countries describe it ‐ in their national language ‐ "Treaty of Rome" (in the singular).
National characteristics : At the top are the words "TRATTATI DI ROMA" (Treaty of Rome) and "50° ANNIVERSARIO" (50 years), below it is an illustration of the treaty with the words "EUROPA", at the bottom is the country name "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" (Italian Republic) and above it the year "2007" as well as an "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. In contrast to all other coins of this joint issue, the signatures of the treaties are embossed in relief and not in relief.
 
🔎		 Italy 10 Dec. 2008 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights 20001
20002
20005 		2,500,000  
 

 
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Description : At the session of the United Nations General Assembly held in the Palais de Chaillot in Paris on the 10th of December 1948, Resolution 217 was adopted with the ‐ legally non‐binding ‐ Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Its Article 1 reads: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights". The coin pays tribute to this resolution. The coin shows a man and a woman with the symbols of the right to peace (olive branch), to food (ears of corn), to work (cogwheel) and to freedom (a piece of barbed wire) as well as broken chain links forming the number "60". The inscription "DIRITTI UMANI" (human rights) runs in an arc across the lower part of the coin, above which is the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and the year "2008". On the right are the initials "MCC" of the designer Maria Carmela Colaneri and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome.
 
🔎		 Italy 26 Mar. 2009 10 years of Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) 20001
20002
20005 		2.000.500  
 

 
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Description : In 1972 the European Exchange Rate Mechanism was created to limit fluctuations between currencies. In 1975 a basket of currencies was used to define the European Currency Unit (ECU) and in 1979 the European Monetary System was created. 1990 saw the start of the first stage of European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU) and in 1994 the second stage, during which the European Monetary Institute prepared for the establishment of the European Central Bank (ECB). In 1996 the European Commission established the currency abbreviation €. In 1999, saw the third stage of EMU, all participating currencies were linked to the euro by exchange rate parity. In 2008 a design competition was held for the EMU Community Edition coin and out of 5 proposals a winner, Georgios Stamatopoulos was determined by an online vote. The design shows a stylised human stick figure on the blank space of an irregularly shaped ancient coin, with the € symbol on the left arm. It symbolises the transition from the bartering of archaic times to European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU). Below the € symbol are the designer's initials "ΓΣ" and the years "1999‐2009".
National characteristics : Above is the name of the issuing country "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" (Italian Republic), the acronym of the occasion of issue below is "UEM". On the right is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome.
 
🔎		 Italy 15 Oct. 2009 200th birthday of Louis Braille 20001
20002
20005 		2,000,000  
 

 
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Description : This coin is dedicated to Louis Braille (1809‐1852), the inventor of the braille named after him. Blind after an accident at the age of five, he learned at the age of eleven about the "night writing" developed by Charles Barbier (1767‐1841), which was intended to give written orders to soldiers at the front who could read them without lighting a lantern, as they would otherwise have exposed themselves to enemy fire. In 1824, at the age of fifteen, he developed a code for the French alphabet to improve night writing. After a second revision, in 1837 he published the first binary braille developed in modern times. A hand is depicted scanning an open book. Above the index finger pointing to the vertical inscription "LOUIS BRAILLE 1809 2009" are two stylised seagulls as a symbol of freedom of knowledge. The name of the county as the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is at the top right, the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome at the bottom right. Braille's name is shown below the book in the Braille script he invented. At the bottom of the pill are the initials "M.C.C." of the medallist Maria Carmela Colaneri.
 
🔎		 Italy 24 Sep. 2010 200th birthday of Camillo Benso, conte di Cavour 20001
20002
20005 		4,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin, designed after an 1864 oil painting by Francesco Hayez (1791‐1882), shows Camillo Benso of Cavour (1810‐1861). As Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Sardinia, he pushed Italian unity towards an independent nation‐state, was subsequently the architect of the Italian Constitution and in March 1861 the first Prime Minister of the new Kingdom of Italy. When he died three months later, the dream of a united Italy was almost fulfilled. Veneto became part of the kingdom in 1866. Rome became part of Italy after the withdrawal of the French troops in 1870 and then became the capital. On the left is "CAVOUR", on the right his year of birth "1810" and below that the year of issue "2010". The ligature of the country "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is shown on the left, and on the top right the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome . The initials "C.M." of the medallist Claudia Momoni are shown on the right.
 
🔎		 Italy 22 Apr. 2011 150th anniversary of Italian unification 20001
20002
20005 		10,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The commemorative coin designed by Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini shows three flags of Italy, whose colour sequence green&dashwhite‐red (the green stands for la pianura, the plain, nature and landscape, the white for the colour of the Alpine glaciers, the red for the blood spilled in the Italian wars of independence) ‐ following the heraldic rules of tinging ‐ is represented by hatching. On the 17th of March 1861, the Kingdom of Italy became the first Italian nation state. Italy's King Victor Emmanuel II appointed Camillo Benso of Cavour as the first Prime Minister of the new state. The important role he played in the creation of the Italian state was recognised by Italy in 2010 with a commemorative 2‐euro coin dedicated to him. First Turin became the capital, then Florence in 1864 and Rome in 1871. At the top, the issue occasion "150° DELL' UNITA' D' ITALIA" (150 years of Italy's unity) is depicted in a semicircle, and below the flags the founding and issue year are mentioned with "1861 > 2011 > >". On the right the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), below the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and the signet "ELF INC." (INC. = Incisore = engraver) of the designer.
 
🔎		 Italy 20 Mar. 2012 10 years Euro‐Currency 20001
20002
20005 		15.000.000  
 

 
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Description : To mark the tenth anniversary of the final adoption of the euro as cash, all 17 EU countries using the euro as their official currency issued a commemorative € 2 coin. There were five designs submitted, which could be voted for online. The result was announed on the 30th of June 2011: the winning design was created by Helmut Andexlinger and shows a globe in the middle, overlaid with the euro symbol. The importance of the euro in Europe and the world as a whole coupled with the fact that it has become a global player in the international monetary system over the last ten years, is illustrated by the euro symbol. According to the designer, the symbolic elements around the stylised globe represent the suggestion that the euro offers more opportunities for businesses and markets which in turn ensures economic stability by encouraging investment in this environment. The factory shape symbolises production, the cargo ship trade, all of which benefit the symbolic family of four with three homes by providing more quality jobs and stable consumer prices. The symbol of the Eurotower in Frankfurt/M. represents financial strength and the two wind turbines shows stimulation in innovative investments that this environment presents, whose central element is the euro. At the bottom of the coin are the years "2002 and "2012".
National characteristics : At the top of the coin is the name of the issuing country "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" (Italian Republic), followed by the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome.
 
🔎		 Italy 18 Jul. 2012 100th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Pascoli 20001
20002
20005 		15,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Giovanni Pascoli (1855‐1912) shaped the development of the modern Italian language by using many words from the numerous Italian dialects in his poetry for the first time. This caused the greatest upheaval in the Italian literary language since the Middle Ages. His best‐known work is the collection of poems Myricae, published in successive editions between 1891 and 1911. A sense of the mystery of life, fear, death and melancholy are prevalent aspects of Pascoli's poetry. The medallist Maria Carmela Colaneri designed the coin after a pencil drawing by Augusto Majani (Nasica) (1867‐1959) made in 1912. The name "G. PASCOLI" is shown at the bottom, his year of death "1912" at the top left and the year of issue "2012" at the right, as well as the ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) below. On the left is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and the signet "M.C.C." of the designer.
 
🔎		 Italy 20 May 2013 200th birthday of Giuseppe Verdi 20001
20002
20005 		10,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Giuseppe Verdi (1813‐1901), the Italian composer of the Romantic period, became famous above all for his operas, including Rigoletto, Otello and Falstaff. The 200th anniversary of his birth is the occasion for this commemorative coin, which was designed after the 1886 oil painting Portrait of Giuseppe Verdi, seated by Giovanni Boldini (1842‐1931). Below is his name "G. VERDI" and above it his year of birth "1813" (left) and the year of issue "2013" (right). On the left is the ligature of the country "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), on the right the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The initials "MCC" of the medallist Maria Carmela Colaneri appear on the lower right.
 
🔎		 Italy 25 Jul. 2013 700th birthday of Giovanni Boccaccio 20001
20002
20005 		10,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Giovanni Boccaccio (1313‐1375) was an Italian writer, poet, democrat and important representative of humanism from Florence. His masterpiece, the Decamerone, is a collection of one hundred novellas written between 1349 and 1353 ‐ a style‐defining work that became the model for almost all other Western novella collections. It portrays the multifaceted society of the 14th century with hitherto unknown realism and wit, and elevates Boccaccio to the status of founder of the prose narrative tradition in Europe. The portrait is from a fresco on wood by Andrea del Castagno (∼1418‐1457) painted around 1450, the coin design is the work of Roberto Mauri. At the bottom, "BOCCACCIO" and the dates "1313" and "2015" are written in the shape of an arc, on the right the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome is depicted, the ligature of the country "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and "m" as the designer's signet.
 
🔎		 Italy 25 Mar. 2014 200th anniversari of the Carabinieri 20001
20002
20005 		6,525,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin, designed by Luciana De Simoni, depicts the bronze sculpture of two Carabinieri in the storm (Pattuglia di Carabinieri nella tormenta), created by Antonio Berti in 1973, with the then customary headgear, the tricorn. A large bronze statue based on this model now adorns the gardens of the Quirinal hill. The Carabinieri are Italy's gendarmerie. Formed in 1814 as a branch of the Piedmontese army of the Kingdom of Sardinia‐Piedmont, today they form an independent branch of the armed forces ‐ alongside the army, navy and air force ‐ comprising around 110,000 men and women. Organisationally, they belong to the Ministry of Defence, but like all police units, they are subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. The commemorative "CARABINIERI" is written in a semicircle below, with "1814" as the founding year on the left and "2014" as the year of issue on the right. The ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is depicted at the top right, and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome is shown at the top. Next to the boots of the Carabinieri appears the signet "LDS" of the medallist.
 
🔎		 Italy 17 Jun. 2014 450th birthday of Galileo Galilei 20001
20002
20005 		6,529,820  
 

 
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Description : Galileo Galilei (1564‐1642) was an Italian polymath ‐ philosopher, mathematician, engineer, physicist, astronomer and cosmologist. He developed the method of exploring nature through a combination of experiments, measurements and mathematical analyses and thus became one of the most important founders of the modern exact natural sciences. Because he advocated the Copernican view of the world, the Catholic Church conducted an inquisition trial against him in 1632 and forced him to recant. The commemorative coin designed by Claudia Momoni shows Galileo next to his telescopes, built in 1609 and measuring 90 and 130 cm in length, today in the Museo Galileo in Florence. The model for the portrait is an oil painting created by Justus Sustermans in 1636, today in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. At the top is written "GALILEO GALILEI", at the bottom the dates "1564★2014" indicate his year of birth and the year of issue. The ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is shown on the left, on the right the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome, below the initials "C.M." of the medallist.
 
🔎		 Italy 29 Apr. 2015 EXPO 2015 in Milan 20001
20002
20005 		3,554,820  
 

 
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Description : "NUTRIRE IL PIANETA" (feed the planet) is the first part of the World Expo's motto, "energia per la vita" (energy for life) the second. It is intended to combine technology, innovation, culture, tradition and creativity with the themes of food and nutrition and thus ties in with themes that have already played a role in previous world exhibitions. Through the stylised depiction of a hemisphere, above it a watered seed before germination, as well as a grape, an olive branch and an ear of wheat, the coin designer Maria Grazia Urbani visualises the theme. At the bottom is the logo of Expo 2015, a superimposition of the characters "EXPO" and "2015", below which is "MILANO 2015" (Milan 2015). On the right is the ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. On the left are the initials "MGU" of the designer.
 
🔎		 Italy 26 Jun. 2015 750th birthday of Dante Alighieri 20001
20002
20005 		3,515,000  
 

 
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Description : Durante degli Alighieri called "Dante" (1265‐1321), Italian philosopher, was one of the most important poets of the European Middle Ages. With the Divine Comedy, he overcame the Latin that had dominated until then and made Italian a literary language. The work is considered an Italian national epic. The commemorative coin designed by Silvia Petrassi on the occasion of his 750th birthday shows Dante, after a fresco by Domenico di Michelino created in 1465 in the cathedral of Florence, with an open book in his left hand, in front of the Purification Hill ("Purgatorio") from the Divine Comedy. Behind the gate guarded by an angel, the souls are atoning on the seven terraces, spiralling towards the light. At the top is the poet's name "DANTE ALIGHIERI", below it the ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), on the right is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. Below, in two lines, are the years "1265" and "2015" as Dante's year of birth and the year of issue of the coin, respectively, and on the left the initials "SP" of the designer.
 
🔎		 Italy 09 Nov. 2015 30 years EU‐Flag 20001
20002
20005 		1.005.000  
 

 
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Description : From 1950, the Council of Europe had been working on the design of a flag for Europe. The proposal to adopt the emblem of the Paneuropa Union, founded by Richard Coudenhove‐Kalergi in 1922, was rejected because of its supposed Christian symbolism. In 1955 it was agreed that the European flag, also adopted by the European Community on 29th of June 1985, would be the European flag with the twelve (a number of twelve is considered a sign of perfection) golden stars in a circular (symbolising unity) arrangement on a blue background. To mark the 30th anniversary of the EU flag, all 19 EU countries which use the euro as their official currency issued a commemorative €2 coin. There were five designs to choose from which could be voted for online. The result was declared on 28th of May 2015. The coin design was created by Georgios Stamatopoulos, coin designer at the Bank of Greece, whose initials "ΓΣ" can be seen in the lower right‐hand corner. It shows twelve stylised persons in a circle around a European flag with the twelve euro stars.
National characteristics : Above is the name of the issuing country "REPUBBLICA ITALIANA" (Italian Republic), followed by the dates "1985‐2015". On the right is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome.
 
🔎		 Italy 29 Apl. 2016 550 years since the death of Donatello 20001
20002
20005 		1,500,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin designed by Claudia Momoni for the 550th anniversary of the death of the Italian sculptor of the Florentine Renaissance Donatello (∼1386‐1466) shows in profile the face of the bronze statue of David created around 1440 for Cosimo de' Medici, the earliest free‐standing nude figure since antiquity, today in the Bargello Museum in Florence. David is youthful, radiating harmonious grace and playful lightness, depicted wearing a laurel‐crowned hat and playfully placing his foot on the head of Goliath. The inscription "DONATELLO" is at the bottom, his year of death "1466" and the year of issue "2016" are shown in two lines on the left, with the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) above them. At the top is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and on the right the designer's signet "C.M.".
 
🔎		 Italy 16 May 2016 2200th anniversary of the death of Titus Maccius Plautus 20001
20002
20005 		1,500,000  
 

 
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Description : Plautus (∼254‐184 BC) was one of the first and most prolific comedy poets in ancient Rome. The motif shows theatre masks from a mosaic created around 100 BC, today in the Capitoline Museums. They depict two characters from the New Comedy, the young woman and the slave ‐ with a corona of vines ‐ whose bacchanalian features evoke associations with Dionysus, the god of ecstasy, intoxication, transformation and wine. Above this is a semi‐circular stylised representation of a theatre of Roman antiquity and the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) as the country's abbreviation. Below are the name "PLAUTO" and above it the year of his death "184 A.C." (184 BC) and the year of issue "2016". On the left is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and on the right the signet "LDS" of the medallist Luciana De Simoni.
 
🔎		 Italy 22 Mar. 2017 400th anniversary of the completion of the Basilica San Marco in Venice 20001
20002
20005 		1,500,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin, designed by Luciana De Simoni, shows the Basilica di San Marco, the central state sanctuary of the Republic of Venice and the Church of St Mark the Evangelist, the core of which was built in the 11th century and contains the largest mosaic cycle in the West. The west facade shown here is regarded as a symbol of the triumph over Constantinople in the Crusade of 1203/1204. In the second half of the 14th century, a phase of construction and decoration began which transformed the building in the spirit of Venetian Gothic. On the five arched spires of the west facade are the patron saints of Venice, (from left to right) Constantine, Demetrius, Mark, George and Theodore, as well as sculptures of the archangel Gabriel, the evangelists Matthew, Mark, Luke, John and Mary in the six tabernacles. In the pediment of the central arch is a golden relief of the striding lion of St Mark with a book, the inscription of which reads "Pax Tibi Marce Evangelista Meus" (Peace with you Mark, my Evangelist). The centre of the gallery on the upper floor bears replicas of the four horses of San Marco. Their originals, made of gilded cast copper and exhibited in the Museo Marciano since 1979, were originally parts of a quadriga on Emperor Nero's triumphal arch in Rome, which the Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II had taken to Constantinople, from where they were brought to Venice as war booty on the orders of Doge Enrico Dandolo. In 1987, Venice and its lagoon were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. At the bottom is "SAN MARCO" and above it the ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), flanked on the left by "1617" the year of completion, and on the right by the year of issue "2017". At the top is "VENEZIA" (Venice) and below it the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The signet "LDS" of the medallist appears at the bottom right.
 
🔎		 Italy 23 Jun. 2017 Bimillenary of the death of Titus Livius 20001
20002
20005 		1,500,000  
 

 
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Description : The books of the Roman historian Titus Livius (59 BC ‐ 17 AD) are considered one of the most important sources for the early history of the Roman Empire. In it, Livius describes Rome's rise to world power from the legendary founding of the city in 753 BC to its present day in 9 BC, i.e. to the beginnings of the imperial era under Augustus. On the occasion of the 2000th anniversary of his death, the coin shows his bust, created in 1867 by Lorenzo Larese Moretti (1858‐1867), in the "Panteon Veneto" (Palazzo Loredan, Campo Santo Stefano in Venice). The edge of the pill is accompanied by dots, interrupted at the bottom by the inscription "TITO ‐ LIVIO". On the right (from top to bottom) are his year of death "17", the year of issue "2017" and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. On the left, the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) appears as the country abbreviation and below it the initials "C.M." of the medallist Claudia Momoni.
 
🔎		 Italy 02 Jan. 2018 70 years Constitition of Italy 20001
20002
20005 		4,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Enrico De Nicola (1877‐1959) signed the Constitution of the Italian Republic as Provisional Head of State on the 27th of December 1947. The coin shows Prime Minister Alcide De Gasperi (1881‐1954) next to him on the left and the President of the Italian Constituent Assembly, Umberto Terracini (1895‐1983), on the right. At the top are the words "COSTITUZIONE" (Constitution) and the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic); at the bottom are "CON SICURA COSCIENZA" (with a sure conscience), the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and the dates "1948‐2018" ‐ i.e. the year the Italian Constitution came into force and the year of issue of the coin. The coin designer Uliana Pernazza, whose signet "UP" is depicted on the left edge of the pill, used a photo of the act of signing in the Palazzo Giustiniani as a model, but without depicting the official Francesco Cosentino and the keeper of the seal Giuseppe Grassi who were present.
 
🔎		 Italy 05 Mar. 2018 60th anniversary of the formation of the Ministry of Health 20001
20002
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : From 1861 to 1958, the Ministry of the Interior was responsible for health. In 1958, the Ministry of Health was founded. With the gradual transfer of numerous competences to the regions, it was essentially left with only basic and coordinating tasks. A reform of the Italian ministerial bureaucracy led to the merger of the Ministry with the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in 1999. In 2001 it was re‐established as the Ministry of Health, in 2008 the two ministries were merged again, and in 2009 they were split again. The coin designed by Silvia Petrassi shows the head of a young woman as an allegory of health on the left. On the right, the ministry's fields of activity ‐ research, medicine, nutrition and the environment ‐ are symbolically represented by the double helix of DNA, the staff of Hermes, an ear of wheat, a fish, a pumpkin and an apple. At the top is written in a semicircle "MINISTERO DELLA SALUTE 1958‐2018" (Ministry of Health 1958‐2018), with the ligature of the country name "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) depicted on the left and at the top the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The ligatured initials "SP" of the designer appear at the bottom left.
 
🔎		 Italy 25 Jan. 2019 500th anniversary of Leonardo da Vinci's death 20001
20002
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Leonardo da Vinci (1452‐1519) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, anatomist, mechanic, engineer and natural philosopher. He is considered one of the most famous polymaths of all time. In 1489/1490 he was commissioned by the Duke of Milan, Ludovico Sforza, to paint a portrait of one of his mistresses, Cecelia Gallerani (1473‐1536). The Lady with the Ermine belongs to the holdings of the Czartoryski Museum in Krakow. Cecelia Gallerani's smoothly parted hair is covered with a transparent bonnet (cuffia) of gauze, the edge of which can be seen just above the eyebrows and the straps of which run below the chin. The bonnet is held by a horizontal narrow band (lenza). At the back of her head she wears a short plait. The coin depicting a detail of the painting bears the inscription "LEONARDO" on the left, next to it the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) as the country abbreviation, and below it the initials "M.A.C." of the coin designer Maria Angela Cassol. On the right, the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome, below it "1519" as the year of Leonardo da Vinci's death and the year of issue "2019".
 
🔎		 Italy 20 Jan. 2020 80th anniversary of the National Firefighters Corps 20001
20002
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : Immediately after the unification of Italy, there were fire brigade organisations (pompieri) of varying quality at the local level. As a rule, these were volunteer fire brigades, some of which were set up at the municipal level according to the medieval model. In 1939, the national fire brigade corps was founded, in which military service could be performed from 1950 to 2005. However, the fire brigade in South Tyrol ‐ like those in Trentino and Valle d'Aosta ‐ is an independent organisation and, unlike in the rest of Italy, relies almost exclusively on volunteers. On the occasion of the 80th anniversary of the founding of the national fire brigade in Italy, its logo is shown, surrounded in a circle by the designation "CORPO NAZIONALE DEI VIGILI DEL FUOCO" (National Corps of Fire Guards). On the left is the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), on the right the year "2020" and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. Below is the signet "LDS" of the coin designer Luciana De Simoni.
 
🔎		 Italy 09 Jun. 2020 150th birthday of Maria Montessori 20002
20003
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The coin commemorating the 150th birthday of the Italian doctor, reform pedagogue, philosopher and philanthropist Maria Montessori shows three of the teaching materials of Montessori education in a square, next to her portrait and the name "MARIA MONTESSORI" on the left and below respectively. She developed the principle of "Cosmic Education" and the "Earth Child Plan" during her time in India (1939‐1949). She died in 1952 in Noordwijk, the Netherlands, and Amsterdam is also the seat of the non‐governmental organisation AMI (Association Montssori Internationale). The coin states Maria Montessori's year of birth, "1870", at the top and the year of issue, "2020", at the bottom. On the right is the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), on the bottom left the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and on the bottom right the signet "LDS" of the coin designer Luciana De Simoni.
 
🔎		 Italy 26 Jan. 2021 150th anniversary of the proclamation of Rome as the capital of Italy 20002
20003
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : In the course of the Risorgimento, the Kingdom of Italy was created in 1861 with Florence as its temporary capital. Although Rome was chosen as the capital, it was still under the control of the Pope and French protection troops. When these were withdrawn due to the Franco‐Prussian War, troops under King Victor Emmanuel II occupied the rest of the Papal States consisting of Lazio and Rome in 1870. In 1871, Rome was declared the capital of Italy. Roma capitale (Rome capital) holds a special status as a municipality: the state (of) Vatican City, located within the city limits, has been an independent landlocked state since 1929 ‐ as the seat of the Pope as head of the Roman Catholic Church as well as of the Holy See, an independent subject of international law. The coin, designed by Uliana Pernazza, shows the head of the statue of the goddess Roma ‐ with a she‐wolf helmet referring to Romulus and Remus ‐ which is located in the centre of the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) of the National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, created in 1925 by the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli (1879‐1942). The inscription "ROMA CAPITALE • 1871•2021•" names Rome as the capital as well as the year of nomination and the year of issue. On the left is the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and below it the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The ligatured initials "UP" of the designer are shown below.
 
🔎		 Italy 22 Jun. 2021 Grazie ‐ Health professionals 20002
20007
20008 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : The COVID 19 pandemic, which has been unfolding since December 2019, started in China and affected Italy first in Europe and particularly dramatically. The health systems of several northern Italian provinces were so overloaded that many patients could not be treated or could not be treated adequately and clinicians were forced to triage. On the night of the 18th-19th of March 2020, a convoy of military trucks drove through Bergamo to transport coffins containing dead bodies to crematoria in the surrounding area. The morgues of the city's cemeteries and funeral homes were overcrowded; coffins had to be stored in churches. The coin dedicated to the health professions shows a man and a woman in hospital gowns, wearing mouth‐nose protection and holding a clipboard and stethoscope respectively ‐ representing all the doctors and nurses fighting the pandemic and struggling tirelessly to recover their patients. The reason for the issue is "GRAZIE" (thank you) at the top, followed by a ♥. Below this, the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is shown as the country abbreviation. A Greek cross symbolising the Red Cross is shown on the left as ✚. At the bottom are the year of issue "2021", on the right the "R" as the logo of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and on the bottom left the initials "C.M." of the coin designer Claudia Momoni mentioned.
 
🔎		 Italy 06 Apr. 2022 170th anniversary of the foundation of the Polizia di Stato
20003
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Work in progress
 
 
🔎		 Italy 17 May 2022 30th anniversary of the death of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino 20003
20005 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Work in progress
 
 
🔎		 Italy 01 Jul. 2022 35th anniversary of the Erasmus Program 20003
20005
20009 		3,000,000  
 

 
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Description : ERASMUS is a backronym for EuRopean Community Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students. The ERASMUS exchange programme is aimed at EU citizens who have been studying at a university for at least one year and supports a three to twelve‐month stay abroad at a university within the EU, or an internship. In addition, there are master's and doctoral programmes, programmes for young entrepreneurs, for school education, vocational training and adult education. Internships as well as professional development measures are financially supported and language courses abroad are also made possible for working people. The backronym refers to the Dutch philosopher and theologian Erasmus of Rotterdam (∼1466‐1536), described as "the crowning glory of the Christian humanists", depicted after a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger created in 1523. The French coin designer Joaquin Jimenez, whose initials "J.J." appear next to Erasmus' pen, has designed as a background a network of connecting lines between the twelve stars arranged in a circle and symbolising Europe, which is intended to represent the manifold intellectual and human exchanges between European students. By relieving some partial areas between the connecting lines, the numbers 3 and 5 emerge, referring to the 35th anniversary of the programme. In a block of three to four lines of lettering arranged in a quarter circle at the bottom right, the commemorative period is written as "1987-2022" (the last number also designating the year of issue) below the occasion of issue, followed by the name of the issuing state, if this does not consist of an abbreviation placed in the centre of the motif.
National characteristics : The ligature of the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is is placed centrally below the centre line. The quarter circle at the bottom right has three lines; below the commemorative period, the issue occasion "ERASMUS PROGRAMME". At the bottom on the left sleeve is the "R" as the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome.
 
🔎		 Italy 21 Mar. 2022 100th anniversary of the Italian Air Force 20003
20005
20009 		3,032,000  
 

 
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Description : In 1910, the first aircraft were put into service and combined into an independent engineer battalion. In 1915, the Corpo Aeronautico Militare (Military Aviation Corps) was founded. Together with the naval air corps established in 1913, it took part in the First World War, also in France, the Balkans and North Africa. The air forces of the Army and Navy gave rise to the Regia Aeronautica (Royal Air Force) of Italy in 1923. The wear and tear of the colonial wars fought in North and East Africa since 1922 and the participation in the Spanish Civil War led to the air force losing touch with the technical and operational development of the air forces of other great powers at the end of the 1930s. Italy's entry into the Second World War in 1940 forced the Regia Aeronautica into a technically often unequal struggle. With the formal end of the monarchy in 1946, it changed its name to Aeronautica Militare (Italian Air Force) and incorporated itself as a partner in NATO, which was founded in 1949. The coin motif is the logo of the centenary of the Air Force. The two zeros of the number "100" are crossed by an ascending line, at the beginning of which a single‐engine historical propeller aircraft can be seen at the bottom left and at the end of which a modern fighter jet can be seen at the top right. A semi‐circular line connects the wings of both aircraft on the right with the dates "2023" and "1923" below each other. The issue occasion "AERONAUTICA MILITARE" (Italian Air Force) is at the bottom, the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is shown at the top as the country abbreviation. On the left is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and on the right the initials "VdS" of the mint designer Valerio de Seta.
 
🔎		 Italy 15 May 2023 150th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni 20003
20005
20009 		3,027,000  
 

 
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Description : Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) was an Italian poet and writer who contributed significantly to the development of the modern, unified Italian language. Both Italy and the Vatican City are dedicating a €2 commemorative coin to the 150th anniversary of his death. After his education in church boarding schools, Manzoni moved to Paris in 1805 and found many friends there, especially among the Voltaire followers, including the philologist Claude Fauriel, who introduced him to the works of William Shakespeare and German Romanticism. In 1819 Manzoni published his first tragedy Il Conte di Carmagnola (The Count of Carmagnola), which broke all classical conventions on the unity of place and time and was sharply criticised by representatives of linguistic purism, whereupon Goethe defended it. The death of Napoleon Bonaparte on the 5th of May 1821 inspired Manzoni to write his ode Il cinque Maggio (The Fifth of May), which is one of the best‐known poems in Italian and was first translated into German by Goethe. His main work, the historical novel I Promessi Sposi (The Bride and Groom), is set in the years 1628‐1630 in the Duchy of Milan, which was then ruled by Spain, and in neighbouring Bergamo, which belonged to the Republic of Venice. With its patriotic message, the work is also a symbol of the Italian Risorgimento (Resurgence), the striving for a nation‐state of Italy. First published in 1827, Manzoni revised the novel in the 1830s to purge it of remnants of Lombard dialect and present it in Tuscan script so that it could be read by all Italians throughout the country. It is one of the few works of Italian Romanticism. The coin designer Antonio Vecchio took the image of Manzoni on the Italian 100,000 lira banknote issued between 1967 and 1979 as a model and to the left of it, under the country abbreviation, the ligature "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic), he depicted the year of Manzoni's death and the year of issue with "1873 ‐ 2023" and in the shape of a circle the occasion of issue "ALESSANDRO MANZONI". On the right is the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome and the designer's signet "AV".
Italy 12 Mar. 2024 250th anniversary of the founding of the Guardia di financa corps 20003 3,000,000  
 

 
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Work in progress
 
Italy 22 Apr. 2024 Nobel laureate Rita Levi‐Montalcini 20003 3,000,000  
 

 
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Work in progress
 
 
References :
20001 Images taken with authorisation by the ECB ‐ Mail dated 20.Feb.2020
© "European Central Bank"		 20002 Data mirrored from Wikipedia Page "2_euro_commemorative_coins"
with friendly support of the guardians of that page.
20003 Images taken with authorisation by H....... Hamburg   20004 Coloured version of this Commemorative Coin in circulation
EU‐legal‐technical specifications do not recongnise colour prints, but the EU is tolerate them, due to the facts that their numbers are very small and that they are sold in special packs and therefor are very unlikely to be used as currency.
20005 Not Applicable   20006 Not Applicable  
20007 Images taken by Münzen Kreuzberg
© "Münzen Kreuzberg 2021"		 20008 enlarged Images taken by Münzen Kreuzberg
© "Münzen Kreuzberg 2021"
20009 Text with kind permission by Gerd Seyffert
© "Gerd Seyffert 2023"		 20010 Not Applicable