The Serene Republic of San Marino

On 3rd September 301 AD, a stonemason known as Saint Marinus led a group of Christians who were fleeing religious persecution from present-day Croatia to the top of Mount Titano in the Appenine mountains. There, he established the Serene Republic of San Marino, the oldest republic in the world.

On the 1,724th anniversary of its founding, during the national holiday known as The Feast of Saint Marinus and the Republic, I arrived in this tiny nation, entirely unaware that it was the most important day in the Sammarinese calendar.

It's not overly surprising that San Marino is the least visited country in Europe. It takes 3 hours to get there from Bologna, changing from a train to a bus at the Adriatic coastal city of Rimini. The bus takes you high into the hills overlooking the city, where eventually it stumbles upon the microstate.

The capital, also called San Marino, is arranged vertically across a number of terraces built into the hillside, overlooked by 3 towers - the Tre Torri. These old towers have been used for centuries to defend the Republic from invasion. While the ownership of the land surrounding this tiny country has changed hands between different powers constantly since the fall of the Roman Empire, San Marino has (mostly) maintained its independence and self-governance.

This desire for elected leadership, independence and self-determination has always been the driving philosophy of San Marino, epitomised by the single word "libertas" emblazoned on the country's flag. While these fundamental concepts of liberty are not unusual today, in 301 AD these were revolutionary ideas.

All this is celebrated during the Feast of Saint Marinus and the Republic, a day filled with festivities including parades, fireworks and even crossbow competitions! But in the morning, following Mass, there is a solemn procession of Saint Marinus' relics from the Basilica through the streets. I watched this procession and even saw San Marino's two Co-Heads of State (known as Captains Regent) up close!

Overall, I loved visiting this tiny country. Besides the evident national pride from the Sammarinese people on their National Day, the views from the city are spectacular, overlooking the peaks of Apennine mountains on one side and the Adriatic coast on the other. The streets are cobbled with an eclectic collection of tax-free shops, including some selling certain items I'd only expect to find in the US. The food was also nice, fairly similar to North Italian staples; their signature dish is Piadina, which I asked to be filled with ham, mozzarella, tomatoes and lettuce, and the national dessert is Tarta Tre Monti, a three-layered wafer inspired by the three towers overlooking this most serene nation.もっと詳しく