European Year of Intercultural Dialogue

Five stylised figures standing on the European continent alongside the sacred scriptures of various communities, rendered as books; the country name "SAN MARINO", the inscription "Anno Europeo Del Dialogo Interculturale", the year 2008, the initials of designer Ettore Lorenzo Frapiccini and the "R" mintmark.

Intercultural dialogue is no modern concept but a constant of European history - and San Marino stands, in a certain sense, as an example of this itself. The oldest republic in the world, embedded in the Apennine peninsula and entirely surrounded by Italy, has preserved its state independence since the Middle Ages through coexistence with changing powers. Culturally, San Marino has always remained open to influences from the surrounding region while at the same time cultivating a distinctive identity of its own. In the political context of the European Union, the term "intercultural dialogue" describes structured exchange between people of different origins, languages and religious traditions - a process regarded as a precondition for social cohesion and mutual understanding.

In 2008 the European Union proclaimed the European Year of Intercultural Dialogue to raise awareness of cultural diversity and to promote exchange between different communities within Europe. San Marino, although not an EU member, took part in the initiative as an associated state and supported its aims. Central to the initiative was the question of how religious and cultural differences might be understood not as dividing lines but as the basis for encounter - a theme as relevant then as it is today, given increasing migration and growing religious pluralism in Europe. San Marino marked this anniversary year of 2008 with its own commemorative coin.