Long-running Italy of Arts series features the Queen of Venetian Villas, the Villa Pisani

Now in its ninth year, with two sterling silver releases per year (one 22g and one 18g), Italia Della Arti (Italy of Arts) has been showcasing some of this Mediterranean nations amazing works of art and architecture. This is the second coin of 2018 and is the lighter of the two. The Italian Mint (IPZS) prefers to stick with classic design for its commemoratives and this is a good-looking coin that shows the Venetian Villas with a hand-sculpted look to the artwork by Maria Carmela Colaneri. A typical Italian coin and a nice change from the high-tech, CAD-designed super-coins of today, it should be available to order now with a recommended price of €43. The mintage is capped at 4,000 and it is supplied with a certificate of authenticity.

MINTS DESCRIPTION: The majestic Villa Pisani is an imposing dwelling of the 17th century along the enchanting Riviera del Brenta. After hosting doges, kings and emperors, today the “Queen of Venetian villas” is a national museum where 18th & 19th century furniture and works of art are conserved. Villa Pisani’s beauty is enhanced by an enchanting garden with its original architecture, ambitious settings and its famous hedge maze, which is one of the most important in Europe.

REVERSE: view of Villa Pisani in Stra (Venice), one of the most famous examples of Venetian Villas along the Riviera del Brenta and an eighteenth-century work by the architects Girolamo Frigimelica-Roberti and Francesco Maria Preti. In the middle, detail of the fountain; upper right, the name of the designer  “COLANERI”;  below, in two lines, the inscription “VILLA PISANI”; in exergue, in two lines, the inscription “REPUBBLICA ITALIANA”.

OBVERSE: Villa Pisani famous maze, which is made of concentric circles of box hedges and houses, in the middle, a small tower with an external double helical staircase. Above, the value “5 EURO” and the inscription “ITALIA DELLE ARTI”; on the left “R”, identifying the Mint of Rome and the inscription “VILLE VENETE“; on the right, the year of issue “2018”.