Europe 2024: Underwater Fauna and Flora - €1.25

With an area of just 44 hectares, Vatican City State is the smallest independent country in the world—a jewel nestled within the magnificent setting of the city of Rome. Yet, despite the geographical limits imposed by its borders, the Vatican offers, through its Gardens, a natural, architectural, and artistic space of remarkable beauty, filled with plants, charming corners, and fountains, extending over approximately 23 hectares across much of Vatican Hill. Among the most iconic features are the Casina Pio IV and the Fountain of the Eagle (Fontana dell’Aquilone), which have inspired the subjects for this year’s Europa stamp issue themed “Underwater Flora and Fauna.” In the fountain at the Casina Pio IV, one can observe specimens of Trachemys scripta. This species prefers habitats such as lakes, ponds, and slow-moving, muddy rivers rich in aquatic vegetation. In these same waters blooms the common water lily (Nymphaea alba), an aquatic plant belonging to the family Nymphaeaceae, found in the freshwaters of Europe, North Africa, and Asia. The Fountain of the Eagle, on the other hand, features immersed rocks where one can observe a species of aquatic lichen, Porpidia ochrolemma, found only in the Italian region of Trentino and in the Vatican. This fountain also has its lively inhabitants: specimens of the marsh frog (Pelophylax ridibundus), the largest European frog and a member of the Ranidae family.