This hilltop town is one of Europe’s smallest — and most unusual — countries

Borgo Maggiore, at the foot of San Marino's Mount Titano, can be reached by cable car. (iStockphoto/Getty Images via CNN Newsource)

From the endless beaches of Rimini to the culinary corridor of Bologna, Modena and Parma, visitors to northeastern Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region have plenty to explore. They might also accidentally stumble into another country entirely.

Tucked away in the hilly countryside just a few kilometers from the Adriatic coast is one of the world’s smallest nations — the centuries-old republic of San Marino.

There are no frontiers or checkpoints marking the border of this tiny state, just a sign along the highway welcoming arrivals to the “Ancient Land of Freedom.”

Those who make the journey may think themselves in just another picturesque Italian hilltop town, but despite its diminutive size and the fact that locals speak and eat Italian, it’s an entirely separate country, with a long and determined history of independence.

Founded in the fourth century, San Marino is actually the world’s oldest republic. It covers an area of just 23.6 square miles (61.2 square kilometers). Although bigger than the European city-states of Monaco and the Vatican City, it is the continent’s smallest democratic nation.

It has its own heads of state — unusually, two at the same time — its own surprisingly successful national soccer team, its own flag, and a population of 34,000 “Sammarinesi” who proudly cling to their identity and traditions.

It’s a quirky place, full of contradictions, that attracts curious outsiders but relatively few Italians, most of whom have never seen it and don’t know how it came to be.

Independent and free

“What’s special about San Marino is its uniqueness,” Antonia Ponti, an official San Marino tourist guide, tells CNN. “This republic has been independent and free for centuries, and although the local dialect and food are typical of Italy’s Romagna (sub-region), never call locals ‘Italians’ because they’d feel insulted.

“They have their own flag, coat of arms, and passport; they have adopted the euro though they aren’t part of the European Union.”

Ponti admits that San Marino may be rivaled by other locations in surrounding Italy — “it surely isn’t the most beautiful place in the world…” — tourists are lured by the prospect of seeing what this tiny country within a country is all about.

“San Marino is just like any other walled hilltop Italian town you’d find in Tuscany, Latium, Marche or Umbria, but it has a special history-rich vibe and boasts unique views thanks to its geographical position,” says Ponti.

But, in the same way visitors want to explore tiny European principalities like Liechtenstein or Monaco, San Marino seems to attract people enchanted with the idea of a microscopic republic. Once there, they’re often delighted by its medieval architecture, Ponti adds.

“Many foreign tourists who visit Emilia-Romagna, mostly to indulge in its iconic recipes, often decide to hop over and visit San Marino. At the end of the tour, they never thought they’d discover such a charming place packed with ancient monuments, artisan boutiques and traditional performances,” she says.

A medieval maze

The country’s main highlights and monuments are concentrated in the old town, a UNESCO World Heritage-listed site perched on the panoramic rocky Mount Titano, where views stretch to the Adriatic coast and on clear days across to Croatia.

It’s like walking in an open-air museum.

The imposing medieval stone walls enclose the original settlement, a car-free maze of narrow cobblestone alleys. There are three massive towers linked by a path that runs along the ridge of the mountain. Once used as military lookouts to ward against enemy invasions, the towers are open to the public and feature dungeons, a museum of historical weapons and the so-called “Witches’ Path” walkway that offers great views.

San Marino was, legend has it, founded in 301CE by a stonemason called Saint Marinus, an early Christian native of the island of Rab in Dalmatia, now in modern-day Croatia.

He’s said to have fled to Italy and climbed Mount Titano to escape from the Christian persecutions of the Roman Emperor Diocletian. Bone relics purportedly of the saint are kept at the basilica, which also contains what is claimed to be the “rock bed” where he slept, and which is believed to have healing powers.

Marinus’ masonry profession was continued by subsequent generations of Sammarinesi, according to Ponti.

“Stone cutting from the flanks of Mount Titano has been the main business here for centuries, and families were poor,” she says. “Then after the Second World War, progress led to the flourishing of different artisan industries such as pottery, tiles, furniture and paper.”

As they live on such a small patch of land the sense of community is strongly felt among the Sammarinesi, who stick together and are proud of their centuries-old identity as “free people,” adds Ponti.

Ancient protocols and rituals survive.

San Marino’s parliament, the Public Palace, is open to visitors and hosts a grandiose hourly changing of the guard ceremony daily during summer. It’s a spectacle: the guards wear multicoloured medieval uniforms with red pants and striking pom-pom hats.

Ancient traditions

The country has other ancient and unusual institutions.

There are the two heads of state. Known as Captains Regent, these have been elected every six months since 1243. Held each year, on April 1 and October 1, elaborate appointment ceremonies are regulated by a strict protocol that has never changed over the centuries.

Despite its size, San Marino’s democratic principles reach right down to the grassroots. The country is divided into nine districts known as castelli, each headed by a captain also elected on a regular basis.

Ponti explains that all these checks and balances, which may seem paradoxical in a tiny republic, were put into place to ensure that no single leader in the hierarchy could limit the power of the others.

Visitors can get a sense of these different geographical jurisdictions by taking a panoramic cableway down from the old town to the castello of Borgo Maggiore, at the foot of Mount Titano.

Another attraction, back in the old town, is the Stamp and Coin Museum which displays commemorative medals, historical stamps and the first Sammarinese coins, dating from to the 19th and 20th centuries.

As well as its fairy-tale-like ancient center, San Marino is surrounded by nature and mountain trails. It’s ideal for trekking, cycling, rock climbing and archery.

And, as you’d expect from somewhere surrounded by some of Italy’s best food destinations, the culinary traditions of San Marino closely resemble those of the neighboring Romagna and Marche regions. That means all kinds of homemade pasta and piadina stuffed flatbreads.

It’s also known for its liqueurs, like amaretto and pistacchione made with pistachios.

Traditional desserts include Torta Tre Monti, or “Three Hills Cake” — named after the city-state’s three towers — made with layers of thin wafers sandwiching chocolate and hazelnut cream.

For day-trippers who overindulge, luckily the trip back to Italy is all downhill.