Travel Stories

SAN MARINO was on my travel itinerary for one reason - to get the passport stamp.

By JoAnn Alberstat

I wasn't expecting much from a visit to the tiny hilltop republic in the midst of Italy. Guidebooks, if they mention the place at all, saying it's little more than a tacky shopping mecca for tourists.

I wanted to go anyway and add it to my list of countries visited.

But I wound up enjoying my time there so much that I count San Marino among my favourite places during a three-week Italian trip.

I wandered for hours along the medieval ramparts surrounding the small hilltop capital city, also called San Marino. The stunning scenery from along the walls, with their castle-like watchtowers, included a panoramic landscape of mountains and flatlands.

San Marino - billed as the world's smallest, oldest republic - is the third smallest state in Europe after the Vatican and Monaco. The mountainous enclave covers only 61 square kilometres, most of it on the slopes of Mount Titano and the surrounding valley.

That's where most of the about 30,000 residents, called Sammarinese, live. Some 4,500 of them call the capital home.

Mount Titano, visible from about 20 kilometres away, is an impressive sight. Its sloping, rocky cliffs rise nearly 750 metres to tower over the surrounding countryside.
From a distance, the mountain and the capital city, including its walls and towers, first appear in silhouette before gradually coming into full view.

It's a slow, hair-rising bus ride up the mountain. Our driver honked the horn every time the bus rounded one of the narrow hairpin turns. A few times, oncoming cars had to stop, back up and let us pass. (Many visitors leave their cars below the mountain, taking the short funicular ride up to the top.)

No wonder potential invaders have left San Marino alone for centuries.
The republic was founded in 301 by Marinus, a stonecutter who fled Croatia's Dalmatia region because of religious prosecution. He settled atop the mountain with a group of other Christians, founding the settlement that still bears his name.

Since 1243, San Marino's government has been led by co-presidents called captains regent. They're elected for a six-month term by a 60-member legislature, the Grand and General Council.

The political system, designed to ensure no one person holds too much power, may be unique. But to most visitors, the landlocked republic doesn't seem any different than its larger neighbour. It could easy pass for another Italian hill town.
San Marino doesn't even have a real border. An overhead sign proclaims: Welcome to the Land of Liberty. But visitors just drive by without having to stop at a customs check point.
To get a passport stamp, you have to visit the capital's town hall and ante up $2 Cdn.

The tiny country also has its own licence plate, stamps and coins. The coins seem to be souvenirs, since the official currency is the euro. A set of coins, nicely displayed on cardboard, will set you back $34 Cdn.

That may sound like a gouge but San Marino is supposed to be a good place to shop, which makes it a popular day trip with Italians.
They account for the majority of the more than three million people who visit every year, fuelling the country's economy.

Even in October, the capital's shopping district was bustling with people on a sunny Sunday afternoon, when most stores in Italy are closed. A lot of shops specialize in perfume, tobacco and racing gear. (Many of Italian automaking and racing's biggest names, like Ferrari and Maserati, hail from Italy's Emilia-Romagna region surrounding San Marino.)
Plastic guns and swords were also displayed in several stores. It wasn't until later that I discovered these shops were selling real weapons. Apparently guns, fireworks and crossbows - all illegal in Italy and other countries - can be bought in San Marino.

My husband and I, accompanied by honeymooning Australian friends, walked through the shopping area in the city centre en route to the ramparts. Our plan was to spend the next few hours walking around the walls in search of the city's trademark three watchtowers.
Two of the towers, which grace the country's coat of arms, are open to the public. One houses a museum of antique weapons.

Our journey along the perimetre, which was surprising deserted compared to the touristy city centre, took us through narrow stone streets, up steep hills and along wooded paths. Along the way, we often got sidetracked by the mountain-top view.
On one side, we frequently paused to survey the sweeping green plain that stretches out to Rimini, an Italian coast resort city 10 kilometres away. Visibility was good enough that we could just glimpse the Adriatic Sea.

A fine mist swirled around the valley below, pierced in spots by beams of sunlight that broke through the clouds, illuminating fields, stone houses and farms below.
On the high side of the hill, we looked inland toward Tuscany. The landscape morphed, becoming the forested foothills of the Apennines mountain range.
In every direction, the verdant landscape contrasted with the city's simple brick and stone buildings with their terra cotta tile roofs. The splashes of colour were few but striking. Tendrils of Virginia creeper, the leaves turned red, climbed the side of a building. Trees ablaze in fall colours dominated the view through an archway.

We began wandering in mid-afternoon, the sun tempered by a mountaintop breeze that occasionally carried the scent of pine from the many umbrella-shaped trees along the way. Our sightseeing continued until after a glorious sunset, when the dark and cold began to take over the mountain.

When I go back to Italy, San Marino will again be part of my travel plan. But my motivation for visiting the world's smallest, oldest republic will be different this time.
I plan to spend a relaxing day or two there. I'll explore the handful of churches and museums, as well as the city square, guarded by soldiers in green and rust-coloured uniforms.
Or I may once again spend all my time walking along the city walls, gazing in awe at the mountaintop views.

*** IF YOU GO ***
Location: Landlocked state surrounded by northeastern Italy and located about 10 kilometres from the Adriatic Sea.

When to go: May-June or Sept.-October. Avoid going in July and August, when the narrow streets of the mountaintop capital city, also called San Marino, are most crowded.
How to get there: By bus or train from Italian cities such as Venice and Bologna. A funicular connects the capital with towns in the valley.

Where to stay: Lots of hotels in all price ranges.

What to do: Most sights are in the capital city. Get your passport stamped at town hall. Walk the medieval ramparts, with their sweeping views of the surrounding countryside. Museums tend to be touristy, with such themes as antique weapons, torture and Ferrari cars. San Marino is also a popular shopping destination with Italians.