Italy details Mediterranean Games stamp for Taranto 2026

Italy's Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy published the specification for a stamp celebrating the 20th Mediterranean Games on 19 August 2026. The stamp is scheduled for issue on 21 August and carries the tariff indication B zona 1, the Italian postal rate category used for qualifying international letters to Zone 1 destinations.

The design reproduces the official Taranto 2026 emblem. Its two prominent X forms express the Roman numeral for twenty and simultaneously refer to the essential lines of Taranto's Monument to the Sailor. The inscription ITALIA and the B ZONA 1 tariff marking complete the design. The ministry describes the Games as a meeting of Mediterranean countries through sport, encounter and cooperation.

The Philatelic Centre of the Italian State Mint and Polygraphic Institute prepared the design and the institute printed the stamp by photogravure in five colours. It uses white, neutral-coated, self-adhesive paper with optical brightener, weighing 90 grams per square metre, on an 80gsm white mono-siliconized kraft backing. The water-based acrylic adhesive is applied at a dry weight of 20 grams per square metre.

The paper format is 30 by 40 millimetres, with a printed area of 26 by 36 millimetres and a die-cut outline measuring 37 by 46 millimetres. Perforation is given as 11 and is produced by die cutting. Sheets contain 45 stamps, with a monochrome reproduction of the ministry's logo in the margin. These unusually detailed specifications provide several reliable attributes for identification.

The official notice does not state the print quantity, selling period, first-day postmark locations or associated philatelic products. Collectors comparing examples can use the tariff, sheet format, die-cut perforation and production data to distinguish the issued stamp from event labels and other Taranto 2026 souvenirs.