More Money

The Euro has been the official currency of Italy since March, 2002.

There are paper banknotes in seven denominations: €5, €10, €20, €50, €100, €200, and €500. The physical size of the notes increases as the denomination increases, each denomination is a different color, and each depicts a specific architectural style:

€5 Gray Classical

€10 Red Romanesque

€20 Blue Gothic

€50 Orange Renaissance

€100 Green Baroque & Rococo

€200 Yellow/Brown Age of Iron & Glass

€500 Purple Modern 20th Century

You can see specimens of the paper notes here: Banca d'Italia Euro Notes

Coins come in eight denominations: 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 cents, €1 and €2. One side of each coin is common to all Euro coins, the other side is specific to the country that issued the coin (although all Euro coins can be used in all Euro countries).

The coins also vary in physical size, but they’re not as straightforward as the notes; the sizes don’t increase neatly commensurate with the value, the way the notes do.

You can see specimens of the front (common) sides of the coins here: Banca d'Italia Euro Coins

You can see specimens of the back (Italy specific) sides of the coins here: Banca d'Italia Euro Coins (Back)

There are dozens of web sites where you can see the latest currency rates; here's one that I find very easy to use: XE Currency Conversion