A Towering Delight – Things To Do In San Marino
When in travelling through central Italy why not take the opportunity to visit the beautiful, heritage rich republic of San Marino, the fifth-smallest country in the world? It is a genuinely lovely place with plenty of attractions that you can easily see on a day trip. Here’s our guide for things to do in San Marino.
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Where is San Marino?
San Marino is a teeny landlocked country located in central Italy. Its landmass is just 61sqkm. Its eastern border is located around 10km from the Adriatic Sea.
How To Get To San Marino
There are a number of ways to reach this republic. If you are driving, it’s easy to reach San Marino. There is plenty of parking but you will need to pay a fee – it’s around €8 for the day.
But if you’re travelling on public transport, you get a train to Rimini and then a bus directly to San Marino. We have a detailed post about the Rimini San Marino bus – how to buy tickets and where to find the bus stop.
Do check the bus times though, both there and back, as even though they run all year they leave at intervals over an hour apart and have fairly early return times to Rimini. You can get your ticket on the bus, but you may wish to buy one beforehand, particularly in tourist season, to be sure that there’s space for you.
A Brief History of San Marino
Legend tells of a Christian called Marinus who was originally from Rab but became the Bishop of Rimini. He ran away to Monte Titano to escape persecution and there he built a monastery in order to live as a hermit. San Marino claims it was founded in 301CE and is the oldest sovereign state as well as the oldest constitutional republic.
However, this story is likely to be a myth and, although the mountain is known to have been inhabited since prehistoric times, the earliest known government dates back to 1243. The little country has survived multiple conquests by various Italian lords over the centuries and mainly managed to resist.
The country has remained independent and largely diplomatically neutral. San Marino was treated with favour by Napoleon Bonaparte during the Italian campaign of the French Revolutionary Wars. Napoleon offered the little country more land, extending its borders to the sea, but the government of the time declined this with thanks, recognising San Marino’s need to maintain good relations with its neighbours. Later, in 1849,Garibaldi, who was seeking to unify Italy, took refuge in San Marino whilst trying to escape from the Austrian armies. During World War 2, the country remained neutral.
Today, its charming old city is a fantastic place to visit and tourism represents a significant proportion of its GDP.
Things To Do In San Marino
You can easily visit the delightful old town in day to explore its charms and visit its key buildings and museums. Be prepared for lots of climbing up hills.
Monte Titano and The Three Towers of San Marino (Guaita, Cesta, and Montale)
The top of the mountain is the place where three towers dominate the skyline in all their medieval beauty set in stone. Traversing the heights gives you access to stunning views that surround the mighty towers on the rocky precipices that hurtle down to craggy depths. These three towers (Guaita, Cesta and Montale) are essential to visit.
The iconic towers are so symbolic that they appear on the country’s flag. San Marino and Mount Titano are UNESCO World Heritage sites and they represent the little country’s proud defences. When you arrive, climb up through the winding streets. And up. And up. Follow the signs until you reach the first of the towers.
Prima Torre (Guaita)
The first tower was built in the 11th century. You can explore the tower and have a look at small exhibitions in some of the rooms.
When traversing the ramparts you get a splendid view of the dramatic second tower. When we visited the mist was creeping slowly up the mountainside, giving a wonderful ethereal air.
Seconda Torre (Cesta)
This is the largest tower. It stands on the highest peak of Mount Titano at 755 metres above sea level. By the time we had reached this tower the fog was truly creeping in but we were assured of remarkable panoramic views across the valley below on a clear day.
There is an extensive museum inside this tower, showcasing armour and weapons that were used to defend the fortress. There are around 700 exhibits here.
Terza Torre (Montale)
Follow the path to the third tower. You cannot go inside this tower but it’s worth taking a walk along the track. Don’t forget to look over the edge of the canyon (don’t go too close though!) to see how impressive these fortifications are and how precariously they sit on the mountainside. You will walk around 1.2 km between the first and third towers.
How To Visit The Towers: If you plan to visit each of the towers you can buy a ticket for €11 at the entrance to each. This will cover the fee to enter two of the towers (the third isn’t accessible) and will also ensure access to the city’s Stamp and Coin museum, the Contemporary Art Gallery and the State Museum.
There are a number of other museums should you wish to indulge in extra exploration. The city has a Torture Museum and Vampire Museum but you will need to pay an additional cost for these.
Palazzo Pubblico
Located in the Piazza della Liberta, the grand Palazzo is the centre of government and the seat of the country’s highest institutions. It was designed by Francesco Azzurri and the building houses a large fresco by Roman artist Emilio Retrosi. You can visit when parliament is not in session.
Basilica del Santo
The Basilica del Santo was constructed in 1836. It is dedicated to San Marinus and contains some of his relics. It is free to enter.
Museo di Stato
The State Museum of San Marino, housed in the Palazzo Pergami-Belluzzi showcases archaeological finds and historic works connected with the state. It has a permanent collection with temporary exhibitions, housed over four floors.
Museo Del Francobollo E Della Moneta
San Marino was quite late in developing its own currency, despite its wealth, so the Stamp and Coin Museum provides an unexpected historical gem and displays many of the coins from their inception.
Top Tip: This museum also houses the city’s tourist information centre, where you can get a map of the city as well as a passport stamp to prove you visited San Marino… for a fee of €5.
La Galleria d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea
San Marino’s art gallery is small but lovely. There are some interesting exhibits of contemporary art,.
The Valley Below
One of the most splendid things to do is to take in the views of the Upper Marecchia Valley from Mount Titano. That’s if the weather is cooperating, of course! Still, we rather liked this shot of the valley with the cloud rolling in, the blue skies above reminding us how we had ascended the spectacular mountain.
If you wish, you can take the cable car into the valley to explore the quaint town of Borgo Maggiore below.
Surprising Souvenirs
It’s inevitable that souvenir outlets can be found aplenty in most tourist destinations. Normally these consist of a variety of tee-shirts, postcards, fridge magnets, key-rings and local produce but also representative goods that reflect the surroundings and culture. San Marino seems to offer a strange and unexpected sideline as a surprising number of shops specialise in selling a wide variety of weaponry, from flick and butterfly knives to a huge selection of swords and a bewildering number of (replica, we assume) firearms and cross-bows. We treated ourselves to a couple of harmless fridge magnets!
San Marino for Foodies
Being surrounded by Italy and close to the Marche and Emilia Romagna (home of Parma ham, Parmesan, balsamic vinegar and so many delightful delicacies) regions, San Marino’s cuisine unsurprisingly has many similarities with Italian food. There are some regional treats.
Torta Tre Monti (the three mountain cake) comprises alternating layers of wafer and hazelnut paste smothered in chocolate fondant. Naughty, but yummy! Bustrengo is the local Christmas cake, made with honey, dried fruits and nuts. Naturally, it’s particularly popular during the festive season.
The city state is also known for its cheese and winemaking – and everyone knows that cheese and wine are a perfect combination.
Final Thoughts
If you have time during your Italian trip and your journey takes you close enough, we can’t recommend a visit to San Marino highly enough. It’s a truly fantastic place to visit, with an interesting history, charming streets, and, of course, those dramatic towers.
You’ll also get plenty of exercise wandering up and down the hills of Mount Titano, so you shouldn’t have a problem indulging in a sweet treat.
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It’s a shame that the fog didn’t lift enough for you to get the views but I do like the photo that feels like you were above the clouds. I must make a point of visiting this little country within a country. I would enjoy learning more about it. I would absolutely pay for a passport stamp! I would have a hard time bringing weapons home as souvenirs and, like you, would choose magnets instead.
What an interesting place to spend the day. I know you missed out on a ‘proper’ view but I do love the photo from above the clouds.
I wonder how many people have been stopped at the airport on their way home as they’ve forgotten to take their souvenir flick knife out of their bag? ;o) I’d stick to fridge magnets too or an edible souvenir like the torta tre monti which sounds delicious!
Imagine being so close to the coast and yet being so far, landlocked in your own little world. But what a world! I love the towers and their cloudy views. It makes sense that there’s a big Italian influence, and is really interesting knowing the history of San Marino. The history museum would be a must visit spot. Seems like a worthwhile nation to visit, but I should keep up at the gym to help me tackle all those hills
I take it you took a day trip to San Marino from Rimi? It looks super small and accessible for a day. The mist ascending covering the towers is pretty epic, it should be used as a filming location. Very atmospheric and authentic. How odd that their classic souvenirs are small weapons? That’s a bit unusual and I need to check why that is.
Carolin | Solo Travel Story