Stamps celebrate small towns and villages of Italy, Liechtenstein

New Stamps of the World by Denise McCarty

Italy celebrates its small towns and villages on a stamp issued Oct. 11 to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the National Association of Small Towns of Italy (Associazione Nazionale Piccoli Comuni d’Italia).

The association was established to protect Italian municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants.

The stamp depicts Isabella Castellana’s design of villages nestled among golden and green hills.

The “B” inside a rectangle in the lower right corner of the design indicates that this nondenominated stamp pays the rate for economy domestic delivery for letters to arrive in approximately four to six days. (The rate is currently €1.10.)

The State Mint and Polygraphic Institute printed this self-adhesive commemorative by rotogravure in panes of 45.

Liechtenstein

Liechtenstein offers more village scenes on a stamp series that began Sept. 2. Previous Village Views series started in 1996 (Scott 1066-1077) and 2000 (1167-1175A).

The new series looks at communities of the Liechtenstein Oberland (Upper Country). Triesen is featured on the two stamps in the new set.

The 1.30-franc stamp shows St. Mary’s Chapel, which dates from the early years of the 15th century. The 2fr stamp pictures the old village center. Liechtenstein’s philatelic bureau described this stamp as showing the “community with around 5,200 inhabitants embedded in a typical Liechtenstein landscape between the mountains and the Rhine.”

Karin Beck-Sollner designed the stamps. Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands printed them by offset and embossing in panes of 12.

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