The Italian lira was introduced as Italy’s national currency in 1861 after unification.
The new Kingdom of Italy adopted the lira to bring the monetary systems of the previously separate states into a common framework. The lira was divided into 100 centesimi and was initially aligned with the French franc through the Latin Monetary Union system.
Different Italian states had previously used currencies such as the Sardinian lira, Tuscan florin, Papal scudo, and Neapolitan piastre. The national lira replaced these regional systems gradually rather than erasing every old coin overnight.
Italy replaced the lira with the euro for accounting in 1999 and with euro cash in 2002. This historical national lira is distinct from the modern Turkish lira and other currencies that share the same name.