When someone sneezes, the typical response is "bless you!" In Italian, they say "Salute!" meaning "to your health." Take a gander here:
The name on the coin: Salus Publica. The Goddess of personal and public health. She was oft conflated with Hygeia and had various temples in Rome and sanctuaries in which she was honored. You may consult a variety of sources on this for more information, including this page of numismatic niftyness (Roman coins!).
So when I say "Salute," I'm saying "Goddess Bless you!" Italians continue to invoke the old ways as a matter of course, even when they don't even know they're doing it ;)
