Features a right-facing bust of Croce as seen on a pastel created by Arturo Rietti, a cardboard-based work seen in the Palazzo Filomarino in Naples. A geometric pattern surrounds Croce’s bust; these elements consume the top three-quarters of the obverse. In the bottom quarter segment are the words REPUBBLICA ITALIANA in two horizontal lines in a clear field. On the right in a vertical line is PETRASSI, the surname of the coin’s designer, Silvia Petrassi.

A seated figure as seen in a fresco by Renaissance-era architect and painter Raphael entitled Allegory of Philosophy anchors the reverse; the work can also be seen at the Pontifical Palace, Room of the Segnatura in Vatican City. BENEDETTO CROCE surrounds the upper half of the design, with the head of the allegorical figure dividing Croce’s first and last names. On the left in two lines is an 1866-2016 dual date feature representing the 150th anniversary of Croce’s birth. In the centre right is an R mintmark for the Mint of Rome, and in the lower-right third of the coin is the denomination 5 EURO. A geometric pattern similar to that seen on the obverse graces the background of the reverse.