Go on holiday to any part of northern Italy and most likely you’ll be offered a day trip to one of the tiniest European countries, namely San Marino in the Apennine Mountains. With a size just over 60 square kilometres and a population of around 30,000, San Marino is the oldest sovereign state in the world, and was founded as a democratic city state in the year 301 by Marinus, a Christian stonemason from the island of Rab in Croatia.
San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe, with only the Vatican City and Monaco being smaller. It is not actually a member of the EU, but by special arrangement its currency is the euro, and San Marino has its own designs on the national side of the coins.
San Marino has no airports or railway stations, and the nearest place to arrive by rail or by air is Rimini.
There are no border controls, and San Marino mainly consists of its small picturesque capital city on the slopes of Monte Titano, named San Marino, and a number of surrounding towns. It is the fascinating walled city of San Marino that visitors head for, and once you are there it is small enough to just walk around. There are only a few streets where cars can go, and they would have to be small cars to negotiate the narrow streets.
The Three Towers of San Marino are located on the three peaks of Monte Titano, and appear on the flag of San Marino and its coat of arms. The oldest tower goes back to the eleventh century, with the other two being added in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries respectively.
The cuisine of San Marino is very much the same as that of surrounding Italy with tasty pasta dishes, and meat and fish dishes served with fresh vegetables and tasty bread rolls. However cake lovers will be pleased to hear that San Marino has a famous Torta Di Tre Monti, which is a type of layered wafer cake covered in chocolate. Another local speciality is the lemon liqueur known as limoncello. In San Marino you can also get the lovely gelato of the region, as well as excellent coffee.
So if you get the chance of a day trip to San Marino, be sure to take the opportunity to explore the narrow and characterful streets of this fortified mountain top enclave.
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