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Banknotemaniac
San Marino (Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino in Italian) is a 33,344 people country in the south of Europe, inside Italy, one of the smallest countries of the world (the 5th one), surrounded by the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. The population has a mostly Catholic religious tradition, the official language is Italian
(and also Romagnol dialect/language) and the official
currency is the euro (€) even though the country doesn't belong to the European Union (EU). The capital city is City of San Marino but the most populated one is Dogana, in Serravalle municipality. The territory of San Marino is composed by nine old small towns, castelli: City of San Marino, Borgo Maggiore, Serravalle, Faetano, Domagnano, Chiesanuova, Acquaviva, Fiorentino and Montegiardino.How do I arrive to San Marino?
The easiest and most common way to arrive San Marino is getting City of San Marino, the most touristic and Sanmarinese capital city.
- Bus: from Rimini Bus Station there are 12 buses to City of San Marino (aprox. 50 minutes) for 5€ (one way).
- Car: if you rented a car, it's a 40 minutes journey from Rimini, a 1 hour 15 minutes journey from Ravenna, 1 hour 40 minutes from Bologna and a 2 hours 45 minutes journey from Florence.
History
Saint Marinus left the island of Rab and went to current Rimini, escaping later to the nearby Monte Titano, where he built a church, founding the City of San Marino. During the lombards San Marino was part of the Duchy of Spoleto. In the Middle Age it was form as a republic (considered the oldest republic in the world) and in 1320 Chiesanuova joined the country. In 1463 San Marino helped Papal States against Segismundo Pandolfo Malatesta, lord of Rimini, and after the victory was granted with Faetano, Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle (since then the borders haven't changed). San Marino passed their constitution in 1600 (called statutes), its independence was recognised by Papal States in 1631 and during Napoleon times (thanks to Antonio Onofri) it became an allied and he offered to extende San Marino's territory. During the 19th century San Marino was used a refuge for people who wanted Italian unification and Giuseppe Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state. During WW1 San Marino was neutral and from 1923 to 1943, San Marino was under the rule of the Sammarinese Fascist Party. During WW2 San Marino was neutral and despite that the country was bombed by the Royal Air Force in 1944. After the war San Marino was the first country with a communist democratically-elected government (a coalition between socialists and communist from 1945 to 1957). San Marino became a member of the Council of Europe in 1988 and of the United Nations in 1992. It is neither a member of the European Union, nor of the Eurozone although it uses the euro as its currency.
What can I visit in San Marino?
San Marino is a very small country although it's bigger than many people think. A full day in San Marino can be enough to discover this microstate. Here appear the main places in San Marino to be visited:
- City of San Marino (Città di San Marino in Italian; San Marèin in Romagnol):
capital city of the Republic of San Marino but not the biggest city in the country. Its historic center and Mount Titano was incripted in UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. The old city is around Piazza della Libertà, where in summer there's a changing of the guard each hour. There's a multi-museum card (3.50€) which allows you to get into the First Tower, the Second Tower, San Francesco Art Gallery, San Marino State Museum Modern Art Gallery and Palazzo Pubblico (if possible).
- Falesia Second Tower (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€ adults/ reduced): 13th century castle located in Mount Titano. Inside this castle can be found the Museum of Ancient Arms (9-17) and from it there are awesome views of the Adriatic Sea and Rimini.
- Guaita First Tower (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€ adults/ reduced): biggest and oldest castle in San Marino, built in the 11th century. It was a prission until 1975.
- San Marino State Museum (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€ adults/ reduced): this museum, considered the best in San Marino, is about art, history, culture, numismatics and furniture opened in 1899.
- Palazzo Pubblico of the Republic of San Marino (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€ adults/ reduced): 19th century palace built like communal palaces in the 13th and 14th century. It was built to replace Domus Magna Comunis (14th century), which was demolished because it threatened ruin.
- St. Marino Basilica: 1836 Neoclassical-style cathedral with the relics of St. Marino enshrined. It was first built in the 7th century.
- San Francesco Art Gallery (9-17; 4.50€/ 3.50€ adults/ reduced): 14th century church that hosts an art gallery with sacred art paintings and objects from the 15th to 18th centuries.
- San Marino Modern Art Gallery (10-18): gallery with 800 paintings, photographs and sculptures from the 20th and 21st century.
- Emigrant Museum (8:30-18 Tue-Fri; 12-18 Sat-Sun): museum located in the former Monastery of St. Clare which tells the stories and remembers Sammarinese emigrants and their lives.
- Montale Third Tower: 14th century tower which was used as prission too.
- Civil Life and Traditions Museum (8:30-12:30 Mon-Fri; 3€): museum that shows objects and traditions that Sanmarinese people have had for many years.
- There are other weird museums like Museum of Curiosities (9:30-19:30 from Jul to Sep; 10-17:30 from Oct to Jun; 7.50€/ 4€ adults/ reduced), Museum of Medieval Criminology and Torture (10-19; 8.50€/ 6€ adults/ reduced) or Night Creatures Museum (10-19; 7.50€/ 4€ adults/ reduced).
- Borgo Maggiore (E Bórgh in Romagnol): second biggest town in the country (6.871 inhabitants) next to City of San Marino, with a cable car joining both towns. Borgo Maggiore has some interesting places to visit like Monastery of St. Clare, monastery founded in the 16th century; some churches like Cuore Immacolato di Maria Sanctuary or Sts. Antimo e Marino Church; and San Marino Natural History Museum (8:30-12:30 and 13:30-18; free), a museum about the natural and landscape patrimony in San Marino.
- Serravalle (Saravâl in Romagnol): most densely populated municipality in San Marino in whose largest settlement is Dogana. It has interesting sport facilities, a nice old town and Malatesta castle.
- Faetano (Faitén in Romagnol): last town which joined San Marino (in 1463). The tourist attractions are the town hall (Casa del Castello) and St. Paolo Apostolo in Faetano Parish, a 19th century church.
- Domagnano (Munt Dmagnên in Romagnol): small town near City of San Marino with nice views of it. Here was found Domagnano Treasure, important 5th-6th century Ostrogothic hoard which is mostly preserved in the British Museum of London.
- The other castelli aren't so attractive but each one have something interesting. The village of Chiesanuova (Cisanòva in Romagnol) is nice with its landscape; Fiorentino (Fiurentêin in Romagnol) has an archeological site with some interesting finds; Acquaviva (Aquaviva in Romagnol) has a nice park, Montecerreto Park; and Montegiardino (Munt Giardêin in Romagnol), with St. Lorenzo Church (19th century) and a nice castle.
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| Palazzo Pubblico |
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| City of San Marino view |
What can I buy in San Marino?
San Marino, as a tiny and independent country, is a very interesting place for numismatics and philately lovers because it's one of the only places where their unique coins and stamps can be gotten. In fact, San Marino is believed to have been the first country in the world in coining stamps (1607). To get some of them, the most popular choice is Sportello-Ufficio Filatelico Numismatico (Piazzetta Garibaldi 5).
Where can I eat in San Marino?
Sanmarinese
food is practically the same that the one in Emilia-Romagna and Marche
regions, but there are some special dishes. The main ones are desserts
like Torta Tre Monti (three mountain cake), a wafer layered cake covered in chocolate depicting the Three Towers of San Marino or bustrengo, a Christmas cake.
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