SHARRYLAND
Monument to the Lyre
Trivia and history about the monument commemorating Italy's national currency
Where is
What is it and where is the Monument to the Lira
In Rieti, in Piazza Cavour, a statue stands majestically: a woman wrapped in ample drapery raises a large coin worth one lira toward the sky. It is the Monument to the Lira, the Italian currency replaced by the Euro, and supporting the currency is an allegory of Italy. Why was this monument made in Rieti of all places? Simple: the city is closest to the geographic center of Italy, celebrating the Lira right here was a way to place it right "in the heart" of the country.
Why it is special: where the metal of the statue comes from
The large statue celebrates the Lira not only in its form, but also in its materials: 2,200,000 200 Lira coins, collected especially for this project, were melted down to make it. Of course, this was not current money: the work was created by artist Daniela Fusco after the Euro came into effect.
Don't miss: the evolution of the Italian currency
In addition to its symbolic significance, the Rieti Lira Monument also serves a historical memory function : at the base of the monument, twelve bas-relief reproductions of coins representing the evolution of the Lira, from the Unification of Italy to the introduction of the Euro, are embedded.
A bit of history
The Lira was the official currency of Italy from 1861 until 2002, when it was replaced by the Euro. The monument was unveiled on March 1, 2003, one year after the adoption of the Euro, as a sign of respect and remembrance for the currency that has accompanied generations of Italians. The creation of the work was made possible by contributions from the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, the Lazio Region and the Cassa di Risparmio di Rieti.
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