Italian 2 Euro Coin (Dante Alighieri)

This image displays a standard 2 Euro circulation coin from Italy. The obverse side (shown) features the portrait of Dante Alighieri, the famous Tuscan poet, as drawn by Raphael in the Parnassus wing of the Vatican’s Stanza della Segnatura. To the left are the letters 'RI', representing Repubblica Italiana, and the year '2007'.

Italian Euro coins are minted by the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato (IPZS), the national mint located in Rome. While the Euro is a supranational currency used across the Eurozone, each member state maintains the right to design the national side of its coins. The design for the Italian 2 Euro coin was chosen by a television vote and represents a pinnacle of Italian cultural heritage. Ownership of the currency is officially under the jurisdiction of the Italian Ministry of Economy and Finance and the European Central Bank.