Italy – Italia

Italian euro coins bear different designs for each denomination, which were selected from masterpieces of Italy's cultural heritage. The final choice was made by the public through a TV programme broadcasted by RAI Uno, Italy's largest TV station.

• The €2 coin reproduces the portrait drawn by Raphaël of poet Dante Alighieri (1265-1321), author of 'The Divine Comedy'. The edge lettering is 2** repeated six times, alternately upright and inverted.
• The €1 coin shows the Vitruvian man, the famous drawing by Leonardo da Vinci showing the ideal proportions of the human body.
• The 50-cent coin reproduces the paving design of Piazza del Campidoglio with the equestrian statue of emperor Marcus Aurelius.
• The 20-cent coin features a sculpture by Umberto Boccioni, a master of the Italian futurist movement.
• The 10-cent coin depicts a detail of 'The birth of Venus', the famous painting by Sandro Botticelli, and a triumph of Italian art.
• The 5-cent coin features the Coliseum of Rome, the famous amphitheatre built by emperors Vespasian and Titus that was inaugurated in 80 AD.
• The 2-cent coin features the Mole Antonelliana tower in Turin.
• The 1-cent coin features Castel del Monte near Bari.