State Mint museum opens in Rome

(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".