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CC 401 2021
2 euro coin
Proof
2 Euro Proof
Italy · 150th anniversary of the declaration of Rome as the capital of Italy
Mintage7,000
Issue price€20.00
Issue date26 Jan 2021
Packagingin case
Edge lettering2 ★ × 6, alternately upright/inverted
Market price€45.00
Issue occasion
The coin commemorates the 150th anniversary of the declaration of Rome as the capital of Italy in 1871. The design depicts a detail of the sculpture Dea Roma by Angelo Zanelli in the Altare della Patria of the Vittoriano monument. The design is complemented by the inscription “ROMA CAPITALE” and the years “1871” and “2021”.
The design
The obverse shows a section of the sculpture Dea Roma by Angelo Zanelli, located at the center of the large votive altar Altare della Patria, dedicated to the Italian nation, of the Vittoriano monument. The inscription “ROMA CAPITALE” runs along the upper inner edge of the coin; the years “•1871•2021•” are added on the right, representing the year in which Rome was declared the capital of Italy and the year of issue of the coin. The acronyms “RI”, standing for the Italian Republic, and “R”, the mintmark of the Rome Mint, are engraved on the left; the initials “UP” of the coin designer Uliana Pernazza appear along the lower inner edge of the coin.
The outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
The outer ring of the coin depicts the twelve stars of the European flag.
Background on the topic
The designation of Rome (Rom) as the capital was connected with the Risorgimento, the political and military unification of Italy. When the Kingdom of Italy was founded in 1861, Rome still belonged to the Papal States (Kirchenstaat). The first capital was Turin; from 1865, Florence (Florenz) assumed this role. Rome continued to be ruled by the pope and protected by French troops. At the same time, the Italian national movement regarded the city as the natural center of the new state.
During the Franco-Prussian War (Deutsch-Französischer Krieg), France withdrew its protective troops from Rome in 1870. Italian units took the city on 20 September after breaching the Aurelian Walls (Aurelianische Mauer) near Porta Pia. In a subsequent referendum, a majority voted in favor of joining the Kingdom of Italy. The Papal States were thereby largely incorporated into the Italian state. However, Pope Pius IX did not recognize the new rule. The conflict between the Italian state and the Holy See (Heiliger Stuhl), known as the Roman Question, was not resolved until 1929 by the Lateran Treaties.
The Vittoriano on Capitoline Hill (Kapitolshügel) was built as a national monument to Viktor Emanuel II., the first king of a united Italy. Construction began in the late 19th century; in 1911, the monument was inaugurated on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Kingdom’s foundation. The Altare della Patria forms a central part of the complex. The Dea Roma depicted there is not a historical person, but an allegorical embodiment of the city. Such personifications of Rome date back to antiquity and were later used again in state and national visual programs.
The choice of this motif thus connects two levels: the city of Rome as the capital and Rome as a symbol of national unity. The anniversary also commemorates the conclusion of a decisive phase in the Italian unification movement and the relocation of the political center to the city that has since been the seat of Parliament, the government, and the head of state.
During the Franco-Prussian War (Deutsch-Französischer Krieg), France withdrew its protective troops from Rome in 1870. Italian units took the city on 20 September after breaching the Aurelian Walls (Aurelianische Mauer) near Porta Pia. In a subsequent referendum, a majority voted in favor of joining the Kingdom of Italy. The Papal States were thereby largely incorporated into the Italian state. However, Pope Pius IX did not recognize the new rule. The conflict between the Italian state and the Holy See (Heiliger Stuhl), known as the Roman Question, was not resolved until 1929 by the Lateran Treaties.
The Vittoriano on Capitoline Hill (Kapitolshügel) was built as a national monument to Viktor Emanuel II., the first king of a united Italy. Construction began in the late 19th century; in 1911, the monument was inaugurated on the occasion of the fiftieth anniversary of the Kingdom’s foundation. The Altare della Patria forms a central part of the complex. The Dea Roma depicted there is not a historical person, but an allegorical embodiment of the city. Such personifications of Rome date back to antiquity and were later used again in state and national visual programs.
The choice of this motif thus connects two levels: the city of Rome as the capital and Rome as a symbol of national unity. The anniversary also commemorates the conclusion of a decisive phase in the Italian unification movement and the relocation of the political center to the city that has since been the seat of Parliament, the government, and the head of state.
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