150th Anniversary of the Death of Alessandro Manzoni

Half-profile portrait of Alessandro Manzoni (1785–1873), inspired by the likeness of the Italian author featured on the 100,000-lire banknote of 1967. Along the left edge, the commemorative inscription "ALESSANDRO MANZONI"; to its right, the Italian Republic monogram "RI" and the years "1873" and "2023"; along the right edge, the initials "AV" of coin designer Antonio Vecchio.

In early 19th-century Milan, Alessandro Manzoni was one of the most influential voices of the European Risorgimento. Born in Milan in 1785, he grew up during a period of profound political and cultural upheaval and developed an early, close attachment to the ideals of national unity and linguistic renewal. His major work, the historical novel "I Promessi Sposi" (The Betrothed), first published in 1827, became in its revised 1840 edition a foundational text of the modern Italian language — Manzoni deliberately based it on spoken Florentine Italian, thereby establishing a common linguistic foundation for an Italy not yet unified. Beyond literature, he worked as a poet, playwright, and thinker; his hymns and odes, including the ode on Napoleon's death, "Il Cinque Maggio," achieved wide circulation and crossed Italy's borders.

Manzoni's cultural and political importance for Italy can hardly be overstated. Giuseppe Verdi, who held him in personal admiration, dedicated his Requiem to him after his death in 1873. Italian state tradition has honored Manzoni in many ways: his portrait graced the 100,000-lira banknote for decades, making his image a familiar part of everyday life in Italy. On the 150th anniversary of Alessandro Manzoni's death in 2023, Italy commemorated with a 2-euro coin a writer whose work continues to shape the nation's self-understanding today.