The second postwar series of definitives was issued on 20 October 1950. For the first time in nearly fifty years the responsibility for a complete definitive series was entrusted to a single designer. The series has consequently visual unity and its impact was increased by the simultaneous issue of all values. The artist chosen was the doyen of Italian stamp designers, Corrado Mezzana, whose first series had been the 1930 Virgilian commemoratives. He died in 1952. The 1950 definitives are therefore among his last work; they are also among his best. The theme of the series is 'Italy at work' (Italia al lavoro). The first postwar definitives had been dedicated to the principles of liberty and democracy; in three of the designs was the implication that the attainment of these principles depended upon work and skill. The 1950 series took work and skill as its sole theme and associated it with the special contribution of different regions. Each stamp showed a worker exercising a skill particularly associated with one region or another against a background which usually included a glimpse of a famous monument or view within the region. The subject matter of these stamps has been treated in some detail, not only because the information cannot quickly be obtained from English-language reference books but also to emphasize the exceptional skill with which the elements of design have been assembled in this series. The lower values were printed gravine with the usual perforation ; the 100L. and 200L. were printed recess. These two values show the slight variations in line perforation typical of Italian recess stamps of this period. Of the 100L, it is possible for the specialist interested in quarter perforations to assemble about seventeen different perforations, the extremes being 14 1/4 and 13 1/4. In rare cases, during 1952, one of the lateral perforations measured 11 1/4. This variety is not known unused. The perforations of the 200L. do not vary so extensively, but this stamp also is known with a lateral perforation of 11 1/4. The 100L. was engraved by Vittorio Nicastro and the 200L. by Trento Cionini. From 1950 the collector interested in the watermarks has to distinguish between three types of winged wheel and at least two types of stars watermark. Since these watermarks appear on a number of stamps they are discussed in a special section to which reference should be made. The first issue of the 'Italy at work' series had the winged wheel type I except for the 100L. and 200L., which had type II. Between February 1952 and February 1955 all values below 100L. except the 6L. and 55L. were reissued with the winged wheel type III. Between March 1955 and April 1957 seven values (50C, 1L., 2L., 15L., 30L., 65L.) were issued with the type I stars watermark and the 15L. also (March 1956) with type II stars. These stamps are found overprinted saggio (diagonally on the 5L., 6L., 20L., 100L., 200L.). The series ceased to be valid after 31 March 1958.

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.