EURO COINS AND BANKNOTES From 1° January 1999, Euro is the official currency in Italy .The new currency, even if didn’t circulate materially could be used in every kind of transactions that didn’t need payments with cash. For example we could do and receive payments with cheques, bank transfers, credit cards and bancomat. From 1° January 2002 Euro currency appeared also as physic currency and it circulated with the national currency, the lira, for a short period, up to March 2002. Our new currency, Euro, is also used in those countries which take part to the European Union and to the economic and monetary European Union. The symbol of Euro “ € ” is called “glifo”. It is the first letter of the Greece alphabet in order to remember the same origin of the European culture and at the same time it indicates the first letter of the word Europe. There are Euro banknotes and coins. Euro coins Every value in Euro has to be written as decimal number with two decimal figures after coma, in a few words up to hundredths. Euro in fact is divided into 100 parts. Each part is called “cent” and it is worth 1/100. The coins have two sides: the first one is the same in each one of the 12 countries that are using Euro and it indicates the value of the coins and the line of Europe. On the other side of the coins inside a crown of stars there are symbols different from one country to another one .
Euro coins are eight: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents and 1 and 2 Euro. Italy has chosen to give a national image to the whole eight coins: -
Castel del Monte is printed on 1 cent coin Mole Antonelliana is printed on 2 cent coin Colosseo is printed on 5 cent coin Venere by Botticelli is printed on 10 cent coin Shapes in the space by Boccioni is printed on 20 cent coin - Vitruviano man by Leonardo da Vinci is printed on 1 euro coin - Dante Alighieri by Raffaello is printed on 2 euro coin.
In particular 1 € Italian coin has the picture of the VITRUVIANO MAN, made by Leonardo da Vinci, which represents a naked man with open arms, put inside a square and a circle. The image represents the movement, the evolution of science and first of all of man. Coins have electromagnetic characteristics in order to avoid mimicking. Each coin has a different edge and some of them has also an engraving and sophisticated drawing in two colours, printed on. Two coins are coined in two colours, three coins are golden colour and three coins are copper colour: - 1 and 2 € coins are made of two metals: the white part is made of copper and nickel; the yellow part is made of nickel and brass. - 10, 20, and 50 cents are made of “ Nordic gold”, - 20 cent coin has a notched shape called “Spanish flower”. - 1, 2, 5, cents coin are made of steel covered with copper. Coins are coined in the single national mint but we can use them without difference and everywhere in the 12 countries of UE.
Euro Banknotes Banknotes are the same in every country which uses euro. There are seven denominations banknotes: 5, 10, 20, 50, 200 and 500 euro. The size and the colours of the banknotes are different according to their value. On the front side of the banknotes images of windows and portals symbols of opening and collaborations among people, are printed; on the back side there are bridges from different ages, metaphor of the communication between Europe and the remainder of the world. Banknotes have particular system of security such as watermark, fluorescent fibres and some characteristics (numbers are printed in relief) which allow blind men to use them. Banknotes have different size: the size is bigger and bigger according to the increasing value of the banknotes: 5 € banknote is the smallest one, it is grey-green and it is 120 x 62 mm. 10 € banknote is red; it is 127 x 67 mm. 20 € banknote is blue, it is 133x72 mm. It represents windows and portals in Gothic style. 50 € banknote is orange; it is 140 x 77 mm. It represents bridges and facades in Renaissance style. 100 € banknote is green; it is 147x 82 mm. It represents a portal in Baroque style. 200 € banknote is yellow- brown; it is 153 x 82 mm. It represents the 19 century stile. 500 € banknote is purple; it is 160 x 82 mm. It represents the Modern style.
Banknotes are coined only in the Central European Bank. They are the same for the 12 countries in the UE. What can you see on the banknotes? 1. The abbreviation of the European Central bank in different languages. 2. The signature of the President of the European Central Bank. 3. The value of the banknote. 4. The flag of the UE. 5. A star for each country of the UE on the flag.