Description

The Istituto Poligrafico Zecca della Stato, or IPZS, has issued the new coin in the series entitled, “Historical Villas and Gardens,” which focuses on some of Italy’s well-known, historical, and stately homes and their environs. The 2015-dated coin features the exquisite Boboli Gardens in Florence.

The Boboli Gardens (Italian: Giardino di Boboli) is a historical park of the city of Florence that was opened to the public in 1766. Originally designed for the Medici, it represents one of the first and most important examples of the Italian garden, which later served as inspiration for many European courts. The large green area is a real open-air museum with statues of various styles and periods, ancient and Renaissance that are distributed throughout the garden. It also has large fountains and caves, among them the splendid Buontalenti grotto built by the artist, architect, and sculptor Bernardo Buontalenti between 1536 and 1608.

Artist: Luciana De Simoni

Obverse

Depicts the Fountain of the Ocean by Giambologna (1529-1608), located on a small island in the Boboli Gardens in Florence, one of the greatest examples of an Italian garden; on the background, the Boboli Amphitheatre; at the base of the sculpture, the name of the designer “L. DE SIMONI”; around, the inscription “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA”.

The Isolotto is an oval-shaped island in a tree-enclosed pond, and is nearly at the end of the alternative Viottolone axis. In the centre of the island is the Fountain of the Ocean, and in the surrounding moat, there are statues of Perseus and Andromedae (school of Giambologna). The Isolotto was laid out by Giulio and Alfonso Parigi, circa 1618.

REPUBBLICA ITALIANA
L. DE SIMONI

Reverse

Detail from the sculptural group Paris and Helen by Vincenzo de’ Rossi, located in the Grotta Grande of Boboli Gardens designed by Bernardo Buontalenti; on the background, an interpretation of the frescoes decorating the Grotta; above, the inscription “FIRENZE”; on the left, the year of issue “2015”; on the right, the value “EURO 5”; below, the arch-shaped inscription “GIARDINO DI BOBOLI”; below, among the vine shoots on the right, the letter “R” identifying the Mint of Rome.

FIRENZE
2015 EURO 5
R
GIARDINO DI BOBOLI

Edge

5 Euro

KM# 385
Characteristics
Type Commemorative Issue (Non-circulating)
Material Silver
Fineness 0.925
Weight 18 g
Diameter 32 mm
Thickness -
Shape round
Alignment Medal
Mint
Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute (IPZS)

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