Italy

Italy is a unitary parliamentary republic located in south-central Europe. Rome, the Italian capital, was for centuries the political and religious center of Western civilization as the capital of the Roman Empire and the seat of the Holy See. In Italy, the designs for the euro coins were subjected to thorough examination by a national technical and artistic commission and then presented to the nation through the country's largest television channel, RAI UNO. A different design was selected for each coin, all based on masterpieces by famous Italian artists. The 2-euro coin features an effigy of Dante Alighieri, as depicted in a painting by Raphael on display in the Wing of Pope Julius II in the Vatican Palace.