Explorations of the oldest republic in the world.
It is surrounded by Italy, however like Vatican City, San Marino is its own country. It is also one of the smallest countries in the world, only 24 sq mi (61 sq km) (only the Vatican and Monaco are smaller), and the oldest republic in the world. The Republic of San Marino was founded on September 3, 301 CE. Yes, during the Roman Empire.
The center of the country is dominated by Monte Titano, a 2700 ft (749 m) tall mountain. On Monte Titano, you find the old and very picturesque city of San Marino. (Yes, there is a city called San Marino in the country of San Marino.) This is the area I wandered, and it was amazing.
It snowed the day before I went to the top of the mountain (thankfully there are buses). Here you can some of San Marino and Italy. It’s hard to tell where the border really is.
San Marino is a terraced city, not surprising considering it’s on the top of a mountain.
First place I stopped was San Francesco. It’s like this church was squeezed in at the last moment on a terrace.
Not too elaborate on the inside but I loved the exterior.
From there you head up this steep hill (tricky with the recent snow and ice). This street is lined with shops and restaurants.
Through an arch. The street winds its way back and forth to the top of the mountain.
The other side of Monte Titano and the sprawl of San Marino. Where the buildings stop is the Italy/San Marino border. That’s the Adriatic Coast in the distance there.
San Marino is another one of those European cities with lots of narrow streets.
The Cathedral of San Marino, built in 1836. A Christian church has been on this location since the 4th century.
The cathedral is very white.
Nearby is the Piazza della Liberta (Liberty Square) where you can find the Palazzo Pubblico, the seat of government.
You can even visit the inside of the Palazzo Pubblico. It kind of reminds me of a town hall.
Very much town hall like.
The symbol of San Marino, which is known for its three towers. More on that later.
This just reminds me of Bruges’ town hall. It all dates from the same time period, the 1800s.
Now this is an adorable house. Notice the three towers on the wall above the window.
Further up the mountain is one of the three towers of San Marino, the Guaita or First Tower. It was closed the day I was there, so onward.
Cesta is small but fun to explore. I enjoyed the little museum.
From Cesta, you can see both the other towers. A view back at Guaita. This is probably the most famous view in all of San Marino. It truly is stunning.
And on the other side is the third and smallest of the towers, the Montale.
After the towers, I explored more of San Marino.
I really did enjoy this place.
I just could not get enough of all the stone buildings.
My last stop on the way to the bus station was San Quirino. It reminded me of couple of the churches I saw in Rome. It definitely had an old feel to it.
San Marino was on my bucket list for years. I love small countries and unique countries, and this fit the bill. Although San Marino seems very Italian, they do have their own long history that was fantastic to learn more about. San Marino is small, so it is easy to see in a day. It was fantastic just lazily roaming around all the stone streets. San Marino will forever hold a special place in my heart.
Check out more of the posts in my Wandering series!
