The attractive 'Italy at work' series by Mezzana had one particular disadvantage, the size of the stamps. Double-size stamps, or larger, are acceptable for commemoratives because their use is a matter of choice, but offices understandably find the 17x21 mm single size much easier to handle where large quantities of mail have to be franked and they are also necessary for dispensing machines. On 6 June 1953 the Post Office began to issue a new series called the 'Siracusana' - the Woman of Siracuse. It was designed by Vittorio Grassi; the 100L., and 200L. values, as previously, were printed recess. Thcy were engraved by Marco Colombati. A single subject was used for ali the stamps, based on a coin used in Siracusa (on the east coast of Sicily) during the fourth century B.C. On the day of issue the series comprised eight values; a 13L. was added at the beginning of February 1954 and the two high values of larger size (100L., 200L.) at the end ot that year. At various times the number of stamps of the smaller size has been increased to make a total of twenty-one different values. The gravure stamps are found with watermark winged wheel type III, stars types I and II or IV(I); the recess values with winged wheel type II, stars type II or III(II). On 20 February 1968 the post office began the issue of these stamps printed on fluorescent paper. The area of the design was reduced from 17x21 mm to 16x20 mm, in order to leave enough unprinted margin for the fluorescence to activate the letter-facing machines. A special printing of the coin series with stars watermark was made for in Stamp (dispensing) machines. The stamps were issued in rolls, the stamps being joined together on the long (or vertical) sides ofeach stamp. A Goebel 500 machine was used for printing the stamps for which a special cylinder was prepared engraved with 660 subjects in two groups ot 330 each. Since the stamps in the rolls are joined on the longer side, they have to be printed on the sheet on their side. Consequently, since the normal watermark paper was used, the watermark is sideways. The 10L., 15L., 25L., and 30L. are found with sideways watermark stars type I stars aligned vertically), April 1960; the 5L., 10L., 15L., and 25L. with sideways stars type II (250 instead of 650), 1956; and the 10L., 15L., and 30L. with sideways stars type I(IV), c. 1963. Most of the rolls contained 1,000 stamps; the 10L. type I(IV) contained 500. To assist in checking the number of stamps remaining in a roll every fifth stamp had normally on the back a serial number printed in black reading 005, 010, and so on, up to 500 or 1,000 according to the number in the roll. In most instances the number reads upwards (except 10L.). These numbers are not found on the 1956 issue, nor on a second printing of the 1963 issue for use at the Fiera del Levante, Bari, 1969. The stamp machines were not popular and did not function well. Since stamps are available in Italy from shops or kiosks selling tobacco, which are open most of the day, there is usually little difficulty in buying them. In 1965 surplus rolls were sent to post offices and broken up for sale over the counter. A 15L. starnp with sideways stars type I was issued in sheets of 600. Stamps from these sheets can only be distinguished from those prcpared for rolls if they are found in strips of at least five with no serial number on the back. During 1960 when experiments were undertaken in the preparation of stamps for machines sheets of 100 of the 25L. coin issue were roughly printed on ordinary paper (whiefa fluoresces under ultra-violet light) for trial purposes. One sheet was inadvertently sent out to a post office in the Imperia area. This stamp is only recorded used. All the values printed on paper with the stars type I watermark, except the 12L. and 90L., are found on closely ribbed paper.