Italy: opinion on advantages of the euro currency in 2017
Italy is a founding member of the European Union and one of the first countries to adopt the euro on 1 January 1999. The euro banknotes and coins were introduced in Italy on 1 January 2002, after a transitional period of three years when the euro was the official currency but only existed as 'book money'. The dual circulation period – when both the Italian lira and the euro had legal tender status – ended on 28 February 2002.