SMALL COUNTRIES OF EUROPE
San Marino, on an outcropping of the Apennine Mountains
It's the world's oldest republic, based on its founding in the early part of the 4th century.
"Go slow. There isn't a lot to see," an attendant at a tourist information office told me when I drove into the Most Serene Republic of San Marino. Her candor was, I soon discovered, just one aspect of the wee country's singularity.
Set on an outcropping of the Apennine Mountains, it is the world's oldest republic, based on its founding in the early part of the 4th century. At that time, a Christian stonemason named Marinus (Italianized to Marino), forced by agents of the Roman Emperor Diocletian to work at the Adriatic seaport of Rimini, escaped to 2,500-foot Mt. Titano about 10 miles west. The little settlement that collected around him was apparently too poor and remote to be worth Roman reprisal, so Marino (who was eventually canonized) could say to his compatriots on his deathbed, "I leave you free."
• San Marino, world's oldest republic | Photos | Info box
• Monaco, capital of the French Riviera | Photos | Info box
• Vatican City, filled with Renaissance treasures | Photos | Info box
• Andorra, high pass in the Pyrenees | Photos | Info box
• Liechtenstein, tucked into the Alps | Photos | Info box
• Luxembourg: modern, idyllic and battle-tested | Photos | Info box
The commune managed to remain that way by good fortune, canny alliances and pluck. Its independence was confirmed by several popes and, after finding refuge there in the wars leading up to the 1870 union of the Italian peninsula, republican leader Giuseppe Garibaldi did not insist on incorporating San Marino into the modern state of Italy that now surrounds it.
San Marino's motto, "Libertas," appears on its crest, along with the three towers built in the Middle Ages atop Mt. Titano.
The iconic bastions reared up boldly as I followed a switchbacking road to the old town and capital of San Marino, a car-free zone built on a series of terraces. Near the main gate a policeman gave me a map showing about a dozen parking lots tucked around the hill town. I found a spot close to the top, then carried my bag to the nearby Hotel Rosa, underneath the first tower, known as La Rocca.
Like everything in Italian-speaking San Marino, the hotel and its terrace restaurant exude good government. My modern single on the second floor lacked charm, but it had a window with a pleasing view over the roofs of the old town. Moreover, the Hotel Rosa is just a few doors away from the Waxworks Museum.
San Marino also has Curiosity, Torture and Modern Weaponry museums, legions of bus tourists and a virtual plague of souvenir shops, where you'll find items as diverse as designer watches and Native American headdresses. Most interesting are the stores devoted to imitation weapons, with medieval maces alongside AK-47s. I was starting to wonder whether "Libertas" had evolved into San Marino-style Libertarianism when a shopkeeper explained that the weapons are purchased mostly by historical re-enactors.
A quick stroll that afternoon told me that the town caters wholeheartedly to visitors, later confirmed when I read in a brochure that half the republic's revenue comes from tourism. Travelers stultified by places such as Colonial Williamsburg, Va.; Stratford-upon-Avon, England; and Carcassonne, France; would be well warned to stay away. But I can cope with tourist traps, so I unpacked and had dinner at the Hotel Rosa.
San Marino cuisine resembles that of nearby Italian regions, including Emilia-Romagna, with plentiful seafood from the nearby Adriatic. I had a delicious fried calamari starter, followed by baby clam spaghetti in red sauce. The meal was accompanied by a half carafe of highly palatable red wine from one of San Marino's 13 commercial vintners.
The next morning I began exploring the old town by having my picture taken with a guard in a white-feathered shako at the Palazzo Pubblico on the Piazza della Liberta. The boxy, faux medieval building, surmounted by a clock tower, is the seat of San Marino's singular government, overseen by two captains-regent who stand for reelection every six months.
The 19th century San Marino Basilica above the Piazza della Liberta enshrines the founding saint's bones. Below is the post office, which sells prized San Marino stamps and coins, and the State Museum. It has a collection of forgettable Italian Baroque paintings and a far more interesting display of pendants, earrings, hairpins and necklaces from the Treasure of Domagnano, found nearby in the tomb of a 6th century noblewoman. Alas, most of the items are reproductions of originals now at museums in Berlin, London and New York.
I saw a medieval crossbow demonstration, took the funicular down to the hamlet of Borgo Maggiore, then walked a path along the ridgeline of Mt. Titano, passing all three towers. It's said that from here you can sometimes see right across the Adriatic to the coast of Croatia. But all I could spy was the territory of San Marino spread over the surrounding hills and valleys.
At breakfast the next morning I was beginning to think the woman at the information office was right. Having visited all the major sights, I couldn't figure out how to spend my last day in San Marino. But then I remembered the view from Mt. Titano and set out in the car to sample the pleasures of the countryside.
Single page |
1
2
>>
 This is a city known for great old architecture. And it's a desert spot and has a long-standing tradition of hospitality. |
 America's 20 most-visited national parks in 2009. |
Users' Favorites
Taking restless Southern California on vacation
Los Angeles Times e-mail newsletter, delivered every Thursday
wherever it appears.