| Description : The coin, designed by Luciana De Simoni, depicts the bronze
sculpture of two Carabinieri in the storm (Pattuglia di Carabinieri nella tormenta), created by Antonio Berti in 1973,
with the then customary headgear, the tricorn. A large bronze statue based on this model now adorns the gardens of the Quirinal
hill. The Carabinieri are Italy's gendarmerie. Formed in 1814 as a branch of the Piedmontese army of the Kingdom of
Sardinia‐Piedmont, today they form an independent branch of the armed forces ‐ alongside the army, navy and air force
‐ comprising around 110,000 men and women. Organisationally, they belong to the Ministry of Defence, but like all police
units, they are subordinate to the Ministry of the Interior. The commemorative "CARABINIERI" is written in a semicircle below,
with "1814" as the founding year on the left and "2014" as the year of issue on the right. The ligature of the country name
"RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) is depicted at the top right, and the "R" the mint mark of the Italian mint
Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome is shown at the top. Next to the boots of the Carabinieri appears the
signet "LDS" of the medallist. |
