Description

Aquileia is a town in the Italian region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The city is located on the Natissa River in modern-day Friuli (northern Italy ), about ten kilometers from the Grado Lagoon on the Gulf of Trieste. It was a strategically and economically important city of the Roman Empire. Remains of the Roman city can be visited in the outdoor area and in two museums, but most of them have not yet been spotted archaeologically (as of 2017). The medieval basilica of Aquileia contains the most important early Christian floor mosaic in Italy, dated to the early 4th century.

The collector coin is part of the Europa Coin Programme, also known as the European Silver Programme, or the Eurostar Programme. It is an initiative dedicated to the issuance of collector-oriented legal tender coins in precious metals to celebrate European identity. The issuing authorities of EU member countries voluntarily contribute coins to the Europa Coin Programme. Multiple countries have participated in the programme, beginning in 2004. Some coins are denominated in euro, others are denominated in other currencies.

Artist: Roberto Mauri

Obverse

Planimetry of the restoration works carried out on the monumental complex of Aquileia with a perspective view of the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta. Below the year of issue “2010”; on the left the mintmark “R” and on the right the initials of the designer Roberto Mauri “m”; above the arch-shaped inscription “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA”.

Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta is the principal church in the town of Aquileia. The original church dated back to the fourth century. The current basilica was built in the eleventh century and rebuilt again in the thirteenth century. It is located on Via Sacra, overlooking the Piazza del Capitolo, along with the bell tower and baptistery.

The façade, in Romanesque-Gothic style, is connected by a portico to the so-called Church of the Pagans, and the remains of the 5th-century baptistery. The interior has a nave and two aisles, with a noteworthy mosaic pavement from the 4th century. The wooden ceiling is from 1526, while the fresco decoration belongs to various ages: from the 4th century in the St. Peter's chapel of the apse area; from the 11th century in the apse itself; from the 12th century in the so-called "Crypt of the Frescoes", under the presbytery, with a cycle depicting the origins of Christianity in Aquileia and the history of St. Hermagoras, first bishop of the city.

REPUBBLICA ITALIANA
R m
2010

Reverse

Depicts a part of the Tabula Peutingeriana (a map showing the road network of the Roman Empire) with the city of Aquileia clearly shown. In the Adriatic sea is the value and the Eurostar logo (the special mark used on coins to indicate participation in the Europa Coin Programme), above the arch-shaped inscription "Italy of Arts".

Tabula Peutingeriana (Latin for "The Peutinger Map"), also referred to as Peutinger's Tabula or Peutinger Table, is an illustrated itinerarium (ancient Roman road map) showing the layout of the cursus publicus, the road network of the Roman Empire.

The map is a 13th-century parchment copy of a possible Roman original. It covers Europe (without the Iberian Peninsula and the British Isles), North Africa, and parts of Asia, including the Middle East, Persia, and India. According to one hypothesis, the existing map is based on a document of the 4th or 5th century that contained a copy of the world map originally prepared by Agrippa during the reign of the emperor Augustus (27 BC – AD 14). However, Emily Albu has suggested that the existing map could instead be based on an original from the Carolingian period.

The map was likely stolen by the renowned humanist Conrad Celtes, who bequeathed it to his friend, the economist and archaeologist Konrad Peutinger, who gave it to Emperor Maximilian I, as part of a large-scale book-stealing scheme.

Named after the 16th-century German antiquarian Konrad Peutinger, the map is now conserved at the Austrian National Library in Vienna.

Edge
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 22 g
Diameter 34 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)

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