Italian writer was born on 15 October 1923.

Italy's finance ministry has issued a special coin to mark the centenary of the birth of Italo Calvino, one of the most important figures in 20th-century Italian literature.

The limited-edition silver coin, with a nominal value of €5, pays tribute to the writer, journalist and novelist whose stories inspired theatre, cinema and the arts.

The state mint has issued 9,000 of the collectors' coins which feature a portrait of Calvino on one side and a depiction of a scene from his 1957 novel The Baron in the Trees set against the coast of Liguria on the other side.

La #CollezioneNumismatica2023 celebra centenario nascita #ItaloCalvino con una #moneta in #argento dal valore nominale di 5 euro, emessa @MEF_GOV e coniata da #IPZS
Info e acquistohttps://t.co/KTIH1RQA1t #ZeccadelloStato #numismatica #BaroneRampante #arte #incisione pic.twitter.com/eSgHroT1W2— Poligrafico e Zecca (@IPZS) October 6, 2023

At the time of his death in 1985, Calvino was the most translated contemporary Italian writer in the world.

He is best known internationally for his Our Ancestors trilogy, the Cosmicomics collection of short stories and the novels Invisible Cities and If on a winter's night a traveler.

Italy is marking Calvino's centenary with a series of commemorative events including a major exhibition at the Scuderie del Quirinale in Rome.

For full details about the coin see the Istituto Poligrafico e Zecca dello Stato website.