Euro
Confused?
Although
Italy was a month behind in switching over from the lira
to the euro in 2002, they caught up on February 1 of that
year to officially introduce the new currency to all of
Italy.
However,
along with the new euro, stories began to circulate about
wary Italian prostitutes who for weeks afterward were still
requiring customers to pay in lira, although drug dealers
were readily accepting the new currency as payment.
If
this is your first trip to Europe, here's some more background
on the currency that is common to most of the countries
you're likely to visit (excepting Great Britain, which still
holds tightly to the British
pound).
There
are 8 euro coins:
| 1
cent [100 make up one Euro] |
|
| 2
cents |
|
| 5
cents |
|
| 10
cents |
|
| 20
cents |
|
| 50
cents |
|
| 1
Euro |
|
| 2
Euros |
|
All
of the coins look the same on the face side - the side carrying
the value of the coin. The symbols represent a map of the
European Union on a background of 6 lines. The 12 stars
of the European flag anchor the lines. These stars can be
found on the back of the coins as well.
The
1, 2 and 5 cent coins show Europe in the world. The next
coins - the 10, 20 and 50 cent pieces represent the countries
taking part in the Union. The 1 and 2 euro coins show the
Union as a Europe without boundaries between neighboring
countries.
Each
member state chooses the motif of the reverse side of the
coin :
| Ireland |
|
| Italy |
|
| The
Vatican |
|
The
Italian coins look like this:
It
doesn't matter which country produces the coin - you can
use a euro from any country in all of the countries that
accept the euro. If you travel within Europe you can use
your Italian euros on the Eiffel Tower or to buy some schnitzel
in Vienna.
More
about the Euro & Exchange Rates
