The capital of Italy is Rome, which is a four-letter word. The currency of Italy is the Euro, also a four-letter word. The former currency of Italy was the Lire, another four-letter word. Rome is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and has been the capital of Italy since 1871. It is also the seat of the Italian government and the home of the Italian President. The Euro is the official currency of 19 of the 27 member states of the European Union, and was introduced in 1999. The Lire was the currency of Italy from 1861 to 2002, when it was replaced by the Euro.