Utilizați butonul de Translate din dreapta pagini pentru traducere.
Italy has added a new 5-euro coin to its 2026 numismatic collection, dedicated to L'Aquila, the city holding the title of Italian Capital of Culture this year. The coin, officially issued on September 1st, is part of the "Italian Capitals of Culture" series and features two of the most iconic monuments of the Abruzzo capital on its two sides: the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio and the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle (Fountain of the 99 Spouts).
Designed by the artist Uliana Pernazza, the coin has been minted in copper, and has a limited run of 3,500 copies in Flor de Cuño quality.
L'Aquila, a cultural capital marked by history and reconstruction
The selection of L'Aquila as the Italian Capital of Culture 2026 was announced by the Italian Ministry of Culture on March 14, 2024. The city's bid, presented under the title " L'Aquila Città Multiverso" (L'Aquila Multiverse City), positioned culture as a tool for social cohesion and, at the same time, as an engine for driving the social and economic development of the region. The project is structured around four main pillars: social cohesion, well-being, innovation, and environmental sustainability.
This dimension takes on special significance in a city deeply marked by earthquakes, and in particular by the devastating 2009 earthquake. After years of reconstruction, the European Capital of Culture aims to usher in a new era in which heritage restoration is combined with contemporary creation and the revitalization of the inland areas of central Italy. The 2026 program, developed under the concept “ One Territory, a Thousand Capitals,” includes more than 300 events over 300 days of programming, with offerings dedicated to art, music, theater, film, dance, research, and citizen participation.
The initiative is not limited solely to the urban center of L'Aquila. The project proposes a broader territorial model that involves towns, cultural institutions, universities, associations, and inland areas of the Apennines, seeking to transform the capital status into an opportunity for regeneration with effects that extend beyond 2026 itself.
This link between history, identity, and restoration is also reflected in the two monuments chosen to feature on the coin. The first is the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio, one of the finest examples of medieval religious architecture in the Abruzzo region and one of the city's main symbols. Its construction began in 1288 at the initiative of Pietro da Morrone, the future Pope Celestine V, whose papal coronation took place in this very basilica on August 29, 1294.
The second is the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle, also known as the Fontana della Rivera, one of L'Aquila's most emblematic civic monuments. According to tradition, its spouts represent the 99 castles that participated in the city's founding during the 13th century, a number that over time has become one of the most recognizable symbols of L'Aquila's identity.
The choice of both elements thus allows two fundamental dimensions of L'Aquila to be condensed into a single piece: on the one hand, its historical and spiritual heritage, represented by Collemaggio, and, on the other, the collective memory of its origins, symbolized by the Fontana delle 99 Cannelle.
A design dedicated to two great symbols of L'Aquila
The obverse of the coin features a view of the façade of the Basilica of Santa Maria di Collemaggio in the center, accompanied on the left by an enlarged detail of one of its characteristic rose windows. Also on the left is the artist's signature, "U. PERNAZZA," while the inscriptions "REPUBBLICA" (Republic) appear at the top and "ITALIANA" (Italian) at the bottom, bordering the composition.
The reverse features a detail of the Fontana delle Novantanove Cannelle, depicted from a perspective that draws the eye inward. The inscription “CAPITALE ITALIANA DELLA CULTURA” appears at the top, and the name “L'Aquila” at the bottom. The upper field also includes the mint mark “ R” of Rome, the year “ 2026”, and the face value “ 5 EURO”. The coin's edge has continuous reeding.
Characteristics
Country Italy
Year 2026
Series Italian Capitals of Culture
Reason L'Aquila – Italian Capital of Culture 2026
Face value 5 euros
Metal Copper
Weight 15 g
Diameter 32 mm
Quality Flor de Cuño (FDC)
Design Uliana Pernazza
Singing Continuous striations
Maximum print run 3,500 copies
Sursa informațiilor aici.
Niciun comentariu:
Trimiteți un comentariu