| Description : In the course of the Risorgimento, the Kingdom of Italy was
created in 1861 with Florence as its temporary capital. Although Rome was chosen as the capital, it was still under the control
of the Pope and French protection troops. When these were withdrawn due to the Franco‐Prussian War, troops under King
Victor Emmanuel II occupied the rest of the Papal States consisting of Lazio and Rome in 1870. In 1871, Rome was declared
the capital of Italy. Roma capitale (Rome capital) holds a special status as a municipality: the state (of) Vatican City,
located within the city limits, has been an independent landlocked state since 1929 ‐ as the seat of the Pope as head of
the Roman Catholic Church as well as of the Holy See, an independent subject of international law. The coin, designed by
Uliana Pernazza, shows the head of the statue of the goddess Roma ‐ with a she‐wolf helmet referring to
Romulus and Remus ‐ which is located in the centre of the Altare della Patria (Altar of the Fatherland) of the
National Monument to Victor Emmanuel II, created in 1925 by the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli (1879‐1942). The
inscription "ROMA CAPITALE • 1871•2021•" names Rome as the capital as well as the year of nomination and the
year of issue. On the left is the country abbreviation "RI" (Repubblica Italiana, Italian Republic) and below it the "R" the
mint mark of the Italian mint Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato in Rome. The ligatured initials "UP" of the
designer are shown below. |
