Amerigo Vespucci World Tour

A new €5 proof silver coin from Italy celebrates the 2023–25 round the world tour of the sail training ship Amerigo Vespucci, which is part of the Italian Navy. Built in 1931, this square-rigged ship is 82m long, carries 24 sails made of canvas and is fitted with an auxiliary engine. There is a permanent crew of 270, plus up to 150 cadets.

Although built to resemble a wooden warship of the early 19th century, with the two white stripes on the black hull recalling the two lines of guns, the hull is made of steel riveted plates, along with the two lowest thirds and the three lowest yards of each mast. A second ship of a class of two, Cristoforo Colombo, was surrendered to the Soviet Union as war damages after World War II.

The ship is currently on a 20-month world tour, which began on 1 July 2023. Over the course of the trip, the ship will travel 40,000 nautical miles, calling at 31 ports in 28 countries and five continents.

On the obverse, the heraldic coat of arms of the Italian Navy are shown. On a Samnite shield divided into quadrants, the coat of arms has the symbols of the four Italian maritime republics – the winged lion of Venice, the cross of Genoa, the cross of Pisa and the eightpointed cross of Amalfi – with the Italian naval crown above.

The reverse of the coin reproduces the logo of the 2023–25 world tour of the Amerigo Vespucci, which is an image of the ship with coloured elements, alongside the inscription ‘AMERIGO VESPUCCI WORLD TOUR 2023–2025’. The letter ‘R’ on the left-hand side of the coin indicates the mint of Rome.