Italian euro coins

Italian euro coins have a design unique to each denomination, though there is a common theme of famous Italian works of art from one of Italy's renowned artists. Each coin is designed by a different designer, from the 1 cent to the 2 euro coin they are: Eugenio Driutti, Luciana De Simoni, Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini, Claudia Momoni, Maria Angela Cassol, Roberto Mauri, Laura Cretara and Maria Carmela Colaneri. All designs feature the 12 stars of the EU, the year of imprint and the overlapping letters "RI" for "Repubblica Italiana" (Italian Republic). There are no Italian euro coins dated earlier than "2002", even though they were certainly minted earlier, as they were first distributed to the public in December 2001.

The choice of the design of the coins was left to the Italian public by means of a television broadcast where alternative designs were presented, letting the people vote by calling a certain telephone number. However, the 1 euro coin was missing in this election, because Carlo Azeglio Ciampi, the then Economy minister, had already decided it would sport the Vitruvian man of Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo's work is highly symbolical as it represents the Renaissance focus on man as the measure of all things, and has simultaneously a round shape that fits the coin perfectly. As Ciampi observed, this represents the "coin to the service of Man", instead of Man to the service of money.

Italian euro design

For images of the common side and a detailed description of the coins, see euro coins.

Coin image box 8 singles
header = Depiction of Italian euro coinage | Obverse side
column_1_width = 150
column_2_width = 167
column_3_width = 156
denom_1 = € 0.01
denom_2 = € 0.02
denom_3 = € 0.05
image_1 =
image_2 =
image_3 =
caption_1 = The Castel del Monte, a 13th century castle in Apulia
caption_2 = Mole Antonelliana, a tower symbolising the city of Turin
caption_3 = The Colosseum in Rome, famous Roman amphitheatre

denom_4 = € 0.10
denom_5 = € 0.20
denom_6 = € 0.50
image_4 =
image_5 =
image_6 =
caption_4 = The Birth of Venus by painter Sandro Botticelli
caption_5 = The futurist sculpture "Unique Forms of Continuity in Space" by Umberto Boccioni
caption_6 = The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius

denom_7 = € 1.00
denom_8 = € 2.00
header_9 = € 2 Coin Edge
image_7 =
image_8 =
box_9 = for a total of 12 stars
caption_7 = Vitruvian Man, drawing by Leonardo da Vinci
caption_8 = Portrait of Dante Alighieri by painter Raphael

Circulating Mintage quantities

€2 commemorative coins

References

External links

* [http://www.ecb.int/bc/euro/coins/html/it.en.html European Central Bank – Information about the Italian euro coins]
* [http://www.bancaditalia.it Banca d'Italia (Central Bank of Italy)]
* [http://www.ibiblio.org/theeuro/files/files.nat/italy.s01.htm The Euro Information Website – Italy]