Postage stamps from around the world
This very curious and hard hitting message stamp was issued on May 31, 1994 in Slovakia on the occasion of the World Health Organisation’s International Day of No Tobacco after the idea was suggested by the National Oncology Institute in Bratislava.
The stamp was designed by Zdeno Brázdil and was engraved by Martin Cinovský. It was printed in the Czech Republic by the Postal Stationery Printing House, Prague, with a print run of 5,450,000 stamps.
Nobody living in Italy could have failed to notice that 2008 is the centenary year of the birth of one of Italy’s greatest and best loved actresses, Anna Magnani, with numerous television documentaries, exhibitions, DVD releases and book publications accompanying the event. Sadly, Nannarella as she was affectionately known in Italy, died in 1973 but left behind a long list of performances which have since become iconic in the world of cinema, most notably perhaps, the desperate plight of Pina in Rossellini’s Roma, città aperta. International audiences probably remember her best for her Oscar winning role as Serafina Delle Rose opposite Bert Reynolds in The Rose Tattoo, in a part written specifically for her by Tennessee Williams.
The Italian Post Office issued a stamp on her birthday 7 March, but this wasn’t the first time that she has appeared on an Italian postage stamp. This philatelic postcard was issued on the occasion of the second edition of the Rome Film Festival and was cancelled on 19th October 2007 although the 800 lire Anna Magnani postage stamp was originally issued on 27 August 1997 as part of a series celebrating Scenes from Italian cinema (Scene di film del cinema italiano ). In fact, this stamp shows a portrait of La Magnani in Pier Paolo Pasolini’s Mamma Roma . The stamp was designed by R.Morena and had a print run of 3.000.000.
More Italian stamps! This time a brand new souvenir sheet issued on 18 October 2007 with a print run of 2 million. I picked this up at the Poste Italiane stand at the Rome Film Festival.
The set was designed by R Fantini and depicts three anniversaries of celebrated entertainment figures on three separate 60 Euro cent stamps: Italian tenor Beniamino Gigli, who was born in Recanati in Le Marche - also the birthplace of poet Leopardi - and who died fifty years ago on 30 November, 1957; Maria Callas, possibly the world’s most famous opera singer ever, who died thirty years ago on 16 September, 1977; and Italian actor Amedeo Nazzari, in this the centenary year of his birth on 10 September, 1907.
I’ve lived in Italy since 1994 so I thought it was time that I listed some Italian stamps. I picked up this 1967 Italian First Day Cover at an antiques market at Piazza Cola di Rienzo in Rome; Primo Giorno di Emissione (first day of issue) is printed in red. It celebrates the 50th anniversary of the round-Italy cycling championships the Giro d’Italia, and was issued by a prestigious Italian First Day Cover collectors’ society - the Venetia Club - stamped and numbered by them as Venetia 250/it.
All three stamps were designed by the team of Consolazione, Cuzzani, de Stefani and depict: 40 lire - Ciclisti in salita (cyclists climbing uphill) - print run of 25 million ; 90 lire - Ciclisti in volata (racing cyclists) - print run of 15 million; 500 lire - Ciclisti in pianura (cyclists on level ground) - print run of 3 million.
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