13th Century

The Genovino was minted in Genoa from 1252 until 1415. Also minted were coins that equated to a quarter of its value (Quartarola) and an eight of its value struck (Ottavino).
New supplies of gold were arriving in Western Europe from Sudan, via caravans from the Sahara, which allowed Genoa to create these new gold based currencies.
The coin had a weight of 3.49 g and was 24 carats of pure gold.
Its obverse represented the door of a castle, typical of medieval Genoese coins, and around the inscription + IANUA, that means door in Latin and resembles the name of the city.