justretired

I've got about 65,000 Lire left over from my last trip to Italy in the Fall of 2000, and of course since then, the currency has changed to Euros.

I'm not sure when I'll next travel to Italy (some day - I'm still studying Italian), but I'll be in France in September (in Lyon and Provence, not Paris).

Can I convert this money into Euros in a bank in France? Or even in the US?

Or is it too late. Perhaps it's just pretty wallpaper now.

- Larry

RandyK

Sorry Larry, but I think it's worthless. If it helps, I think 65,000 lira is only worth about $42 U.S.

bobthenavigator

You can convert it at one bank in Italy--I am not sure which one.

skatterfly

Here's a previous thread about it...

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...amp;dirtyBit=1

I don't know if Banca D'Italia has branches in Lyon or wherever you're going in Provence, but I'd probably hold onto it as a souvenir. It'll probably be hard to exchange.

Now, if you ARE thinking of going to Italy in the next few years and want t change it in, I thought I read some where they'll honor it for 10 years after the conversion.

~k

PatrickLondon

Yes, all the public statements are that national banks will change old notes to Euro for 10 years - presumably up to the end of 2011.

I should doubt if it's worth trying in France, since anyone who would take them off your hands would no doubt expect to take their cut. If you're in the south and fancy a day trip across the border into Italy it might be worth a try, but you might have to go to Rome.

justretired

Thanks, all, for the replies.

I'll hold on to my Lire until my next trip to Italy. This should be before 2011, God willing and the creek don't rise.

I'll be in Provence in four weeks, but not the Côte d'Azur, and a jaunt into Italy isn't on the schedule for this trip.

I don't know if standing around in a bank in Rome actually will be a good use of my travel time just in order to recover $40. On the other hand, it might be a good linguistic exercise, and a lesson in Italian beaurocracy.

- Larry

pilgrim

I'd love to buy some from you to for young friends who are fascinated by colorful currency.

PalQ

I suppose it's like in France - francs can be exchanged only at the national bank - the Banque de France, in every large regional city and Paris. Last year I exchanged francs for euros in Paris - there was a fixed exchange rate at time of the change-over and no service fee; they even took coins, and like previous post, said exchanges would be possible for several years. I'm afraid 65,000 Lire won't buy nearly as much in the post-euro Italy as it did in 2000, the so-called 'euro-inflation'

justretired

Hmm, maybe I should just sell them on eBay. In 2000, the exchange was about 1,700 Lire to the dollar. I don't know what I'd get now for them in Euros.

Now if you want to talk FRANCS, I actually have some really old "anciens francs" coins from my first trip to France in 1960. At that time, both "anciens francs" (old, literally "former" francs) and "nouveaux francs" (new francs) were circulating together. The revaluation was 1 new franc = 100 old francs. On my second trip in the late 60's, only the new francs were circulating, but many of the older shopkeepers were still quoting prices in old francs.

- Larry

Jocelyn_P

Ebay's a great idea.

tashak

If you or anyone you know is flying on British Airways, you could contribute the old lire to those envelopes where they collect spare change in any currency to support UNICEF. That way it would actually help someone instead of sitting in a drawer...and I think you can mail contributions to this program too...perhaps the BA website or 800# can provide the address...

Giovanna

We took our lire with us on our last visit to Italy in 2002, and exchanged it to Euro with no problem in Venice. It was at a Bank of Italy if I remember correctly. No lines to stand in, no hassle and we were a few dollars richer!