The Tiny Country of San Marino
- pd-allen
- 16 hours ago
- 5 min read
During our recent visit to Italy, my daughter Rachel and I negotiated a travel package, two days of battlefield tours in exchange for the tiny country of San Marino.
Rachel has made it her mission to visit all of the countries of Europe that participate in The Games of the Small States of Europe during her four-year teaching assignment at the NATO school in the Netherlands. She has done very well so far with 9 of 10 visited to date. She is only missing the smallest, Vatican City. We briefly discussed visiting the Vatican during our recent trip, but the Vatican at Easter did not seem like a calm, quiet trip.
The Games were established in 1984 for countries that had a population of less than 1 million.
The countries include:
Andorra
Cyprus
Iceland
Liechtenstein
Luxembourg
Malta
Monaco
Montenegro
San Marino
Vatican City
(not part of the official games as the Pope does not have a handball team) but is the smallest in population and size so got added to the list.
San Marino
San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe at 61 square kilometers, larger only than Vatican City (0.49 km2) and Monaco (2.0 km2). San Marino is completely surrounded by Italy, just over an hour from Rimini, and the question is always how it managed to remain a sovereign country.
San Mario was founded in 301 AD when Marinus, a Christian Stonemason from the isle of Rab, in present day Croatia, fled from persecution under Roman Emperor Diocletian and settled in Mount Titano. He established a monastery that later evolved into an independent republic. San Marino claims to be the oldest continuous republic in the world based on its founding date. It’s one thing to declare itself a sovereign state, but a very different one to maintain its independence. Geography is the key to San Marino’s survival. It is a mountain top fortress that was extremely difficult to conquer.
The capital city, also called San Marino is a walled city atop Mount Titano. San Marino repeatedly avoided annexation by negotiation rather than fighting, aligning with one power to counter a potential invader. In 1631, the Pope formally confirmed San Marino’s independence making it more difficult to take over. Similarly, in 1797, Napolean respected San Marino’s independence and even offered to expand its territory. San Marino said, we’re good and kept its territory to avoid future conflicts. This was a key moment as many Italian states were abolished during this period. The congress of Vienna in 1815 guaranteed San Marino’s status. Subsequent treaties with Italy ensured the tiny country was not absorbed.
San Marino’s main industries are manufacturing, tourism, service industries and banking.
The drive to San Marino is all up hill from Rimini and you switchback your way up to a parking lot that has a gondola that gets you the rest of the way. The cable car rises 166 m over a 336 m run so you are going up at about a 30-degree angle.
The view from the Cable car is spectacular, you can see all the way to Rimini on a clear day.
The viewing platform just at the cable car exit provides a panoramic view of the entire region and shows why this was such a strong defensive position.
The newer part of San Marino.
Rachel confirming we are in the correct country.
The walled city and guard tower. One certainty is San Marino was it was going to be up hill!
The views from the promenade are spectacular, except for the occasional tourist in the way.
A nun getting a little reading in. We tried surreptitiously checking out her book, I guessed Eat, Pray, Love but we never did confirm the title.
Us getting ready to storm the tower.
San Marino is a tax-free zone, so in addition to a multitude of restaurants there are tons of high-end stores selling watches, jewellery, perfume, clothing and a distressing number of high-powered firearms. For a country that maintained sovereignty through diplomacy the stores are extremely well armed.
The Three Towers of San Marino
There are 3 towers that guard the country, as shown in this model.
Guaita, the First Tower, was built in the 11th century and was used as a prison for part of its history.
Rachel scales the Tower.
The reverse view of me from Rachel in the tower.
Another great view from tower one.
The view of the countryside from up in Tower #1.
Cesta, the Second Tower, built in the 13th century, is located on the highest peak of Mount Titano and houses the museum of Ancient Weapons.
Montale, the Third Tower, was built in the 14th century as a defensive look out is not accessible to the public.
San Marino Government
San Marino’s government is rooted in medieval statutes. Every six months two Captains Regent are elected from the government body and they jointly rule the country. San Marino’s population is 34,000. The Grand and General council has 60 members, so the population is well represented.
Since there are two Captains Regent, there are two official cars licence plates SM001 and SM002. Rachel is keeping an eye on them in front of the Government Building while the legislators are legislating.
San Marino in WW2
San Marino was neutral in World War II but still suffered significant damage during an RAF bombing raid on 25 June 1944. The allies had the incorrect intelligence that the Germans had occupied San Marino and had indication that the German General Kesselring was present in the Republic. 253 bombs were dropped, causing the death of 63 civilians, causing extensive damage to house and government buildings and destroying the San Marino – Rimini Railway which was never rebuilt.
During the Battle of the Gothic Line 17-20 Sep 1944, German troops entered San Marino to take advantage of the heights to control artillery. Members of the Indian Division attacked the Germans, first in the hills surrounding the capital, then in the capital itself. There was damage caused, but less extensive than the June Bombings. Moving up towards San Marino.
Throughout the war, San Marino harboured more than 100,000 refugees, including more that 12,000 Jews, a remarkable effort for a population of 15,000 at the time. Homes, building and tunnels were used to shelter the refugees even during the Allied invasion.
A former quarry is now a crossbow range so the guards can hone their shooting skills.
A model of Greater San Marino.
The Bascillica di San Marino is a relatively modern structure, consecrated in 1838. A church has been on this site since the seventh century.
The interior of the church is magnificent.
The rules of counting a country as officially visited are very strict. Landing at an airport in the country or driving across a small portion does not count. You need to have a meal in the country to make it official. San Marino was confirmed with an excellent three course traditional late lunch with a window seat overlooking the realm.
Final Thoughts
Visiting the participants of the Small Games of Europe has been a very worthy endeavor. It’s a great way to break down a continent and get to visit fabulous places off the beaten tourist trail. I seem to remember that I suggested visiting Croatia which skillfully got extended to a day trip to Montenegro. I also claim that I had the idea to visit Malta and Slovenia, but in retrospect, it may have been that I suggested Locations and Rachel agreed when it fitted her master plan: “Great idea, let’s do that!”
No matter the motivation, it has been great to explore Europe and gain an appreciation of the history. Everywhere we have been the Greeks, the Romans, the Habsburgs and Napolean have been there before and left their mark on the landscape.
A change of pace from your usual stories. When I learned it was surrounded by Italy, I wondered how it stayed its own country for so long. I figured it was because the way Italians drive, they drove off the switch backs on their way to overtake it. It looks like a very beautiful city/country and i am happy to have learned about it.