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2 euro commemorative coin of the Italian Republic, issued in 2023 with a circulation of 3,000,000 copies. Dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the death of Alessandro Manzoni. The author of the design is Antonio Vecchio (initials "AV"). Bimetallic, diameter 25.75 mm, weight 8.5 g. Minted at IPZS in Rome.
Overse
The center of the coin depicts a portrait of Alessandro Manzoni in half profile, inspired by the image of the Italian writer from the 100,000 lire banknote of 1967. On the left is the inscription "ALESSANDRO MANZONI", on the right is the monogram "RI" (Repubblica Italiana) and the dates "1873" and "2023" (year of death and year of issue). On the right edge are the designer's initials "AV" (Antonio Vecchio) and the mint mark "R". On the outer ring are the 12 five-pointed stars of the European Union.
Reverse
The reverse is the common side of the 2 euro coins of the second type, designed by Luc Luix (Royal Belgian Mint). It depicts a map of Europe as a single continent without internal borders - a symbol of European unity. On the left is a large denomination "2" and the inscription "EURO", on the right is a map with six thin horizontal lines in the background. On the outer ring are the 12 stars of the European Union. The band is finely grooved and the inscription "2 ★", repeated six times alternately upright and inverted.
Historical context
Alessandro Manzoni (1785-1873) is one of the most prominent Italian writers of the 19th century, a classic of Italian literature, poet and playwright. He was born on March 7, 1785 in Milan. He was the grandson of the philosopher Cesare Beccaria. After his youth in Paris, he returned to Milan, where he married, converted to Catholicism and took up literature. He wrote two romantic tragedies - "The Count of Carmognola" (1820) and "Adelgise" (1822), a number of poems and odes, as well as "Sacred Hymns". But his main work - the historical novel "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed, 1825-1842, final edition) - is considered a masterpiece of Italian literature, and Manzoni - the father of the modern Italian literary language. In three books, he describes the love of Renzo and Lucia in 17th-century Lombardy against the backdrop of the plague of 1630 and Spanish oppression. Manzoni was a senator of a united Italy (from 1860). On his death, Giuseppe Verdi wrote the monumental "Requiem" (1874). He died on May 22, 1873 in Milan.