(ANSA) - Rome, October 26 -The Museo della Zecca has opened
in Rome, a museum dedicated to the Italian State mint that
displays historic treasures.
The museum was inaugurated Tuesday by President Sergio
Mattarella, the economy and culture ministers, respectively Pier
Carlo Padoan and Dario Franceschini, and the commander-general
of finance police, Giorgio Toschi inside the industrial complex
of the Italian mint, the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello
Stato on Via Salaria 709 in Rome.
Treasures on display include precious medals of the
'pontifical series' outlining the history of Christian Jubilees
and of pilgrims.
The splendid waxes by Roman engraver Benedetto Pistrucci
are also showcased, including pieces crafted using the pound as
a model, portraying a naked St George fighting the dragon, or
another made over the course of 30 years, representing the
triumph of Bacchus and Ariadne.
The fascinating, 200-year-long history of the Italian Lira
currency is on display through gold coins and banknotes
describing the country's history from Napoleon to Italian
unification, from the Fascist regime to the Republic.
Another section of the museum is dedicated to the history
of minting technology with old machines on display, along with
coins, medals, stamps and wax models.
The museum also hosts the remains of a Roman Imperial
Mausoleum.
Professor Silvana Balbi de Caro is in charge of the
scientific project of the museum, which focuses on the history
of the Italian mint and the country through two different
sections.
The collections are first presented in chronological order.
Visitors can admire the 'artistic' twist of coins during the
rule of Victor Emmanuel II who asked famous artists to make the
sketches, as well as the famous 500 lira coin designed by Guido
Veroi portraying caravels sailing against the wind.
Then one floor below is the section dedicated to the history
of minting technology with machines that are still functioning.
This section includes old films and photos as well as a
virtual reconstruction to enable the public to get a realistic
insight into the mint's history.
The museum was originally created at the beginning of the
1800s as a numismatic office of the pontifical mint and then
became part of the Italian kingdom in 1870.
It is constantly changing as its collections expands to
include new coins.
"This museum truly embraces Italian history", said Culture
Minister Dario Franceschini.
"Today, every single machine that still works shows the
technological effort carried out by Italy, each coin shows the
history and beauty of our art".
Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan also said that the new
museum embodies "culture, beauty, technology", showing the
country's "great energy".
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