San Marino

Tradition says that in 301 CE a Christian stonemason called Marinus, from the island of Rab in present-day Croatia, fled persecution and founded a small community on Monte Titano. The founding date, 3 September, is the national day, and Marinus is both patron saint and national founder.

What is documented is a self-governing hill community by the early Middle Ages, protected by its steep rock and by being too poor and small to be worth conquering. It governed itself through an assembly of heads of family, the Arengo, which gave way to an elected council.

The Statutes of 1600 codified laws that had grown over centuries and still form part of the constitution — one of the oldest written constitutional documents in force.

Monte Titano has three peaks, each crowned by a tower: Guaita, the oldest and largest, begun in the 11th century; Cesta, on the highest point at about 750 m; and Montale, a smaller watchtower. They appear on the flag and coat of arms.

Walls linked the towers and the town below, and the old town's tight lanes, gates and terraces follow the ridge. The fortifications were rebuilt and partly restored in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, which gives parts of the old town a slightly theatrical, idealised medieval look.

In 2008 the historic centre and Monte Titano were listed by UNESCO as an example of a living tradition of self-government rather than for any single monument.

San Marino survived by staying small and neutral. Cesare Borgia occupied it briefly in 1503; Cardinal Alberoni seized it for the Papal States in 1739–40, and the Pope restored its independence on 5 February 1740, now a holiday.

Napoleon offered to enlarge the republic in 1797 and was politely refused. During Italian unification San Marino sheltered Garibaldi in 1849 as he fled Austrian troops, and the new kingdom signed a friendship treaty in 1862 that recognised its independence.

In the Second World War the neutral republic took in around 100,000 refugees — more than ten times its population — before fighting reached it in 1944. It joined the Council of Europe in 1988 and the United Nations in 1992.

San Marino is run by two Captains Regent, elected by the 60-member Grand and General Council for six-month terms that begin on 1 April and 1 October. They cannot serve again for three years. The investiture ceremony, with guards in uniform and a procession to the Palazzo Pubblico, is the republic's main pageant.

The Council is elected every five years; a Congress of State acts as the government. The country is divided into nine castelli, each with its own council.

Citizenship passes mainly by descent, and many Sammarinese live abroad, especially in the United States, France and Argentina. Emigrants can vote and some fly home for elections.

San Marino earns from manufacturing, banking, retail and tourism. Lower sales tax than Italy's VAT draws Italian shoppers for fuel, perfume and electronics, and the old town is lined with shops aimed at day-trippers.

Stamps and coins have long been a source of income: the republic issues its own euro coins under an agreement with the EU, and collectors' sets sell out. The banking sector, once attractive for secrecy, was reformed after Italian and international pressure from the late 2000s.

San Marino is outside the EU but in a customs union with it, and has negotiated an association agreement to deepen access to the single market — check its current status.

Nearly all visitors arrive by bus or car from Rimini, which has the nearest station and airport. Coach groups fill the ridge between late morning and mid-afternoon, especially in July and August when the Adriatic beaches are full.

The rhythm of a good visit is simple: arrive early, walk the ridge between the towers, see the Palazzo Pubblico, eat a piadina, and leave or stay the night when the coaches go. Festivals — the Medieval Days in summer, the 3 September national day, and the investitures — add costumes, crossbows and crowds.

San Marino is extremely safe and inexpensive by Italian standards; the practical watch-outs are steep stone paths, fog that hides the views, and mobile roaming that may be billed outside the EU.