San Marino (real nation)

San Marino (officially the Republic of San Marino) is the third smallest state in Europe (after the Vatican City and Monaco), and claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, it was founded by a Christian stonemason named Marinus in 301 A.D. San Marino's foreign policy is aligned with that of Italy, which surrounds it. Social and political trends in the republic also track closely with those of its larger neighbour.

Understand
San Marino is the world's oldest republic and Europe's third smallest state. It is the sole survivor of the independent city states that used to make up the Italian peninsula before the unification of Italy. It lies 657m above sea level with spectacular views of the surrounding countryside and Adriatic coast, and is situated only 10km from Rimini. Legend has it that the founder of San Marino, a stonemason arrived from the island of Rab in Dalmatia, climbed Mount Titano to found a small community of Christians, persecuted for their faith by the Emperor Diocletian.

San Marino is made up of a few towns dotted around the mountain sides. The capital of San Marino is itself called 'San Marino' and is situated high up on a mountain top. The capital is surrounded by a wall and three distinct towers overlook the rest of the country. The site "San Marino: Historic Centre and Mount Titano" has become part of the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2008.

The towns surrounding the capital are more industrial and generally not as attractive as the main city. San Marino is 20 times bigger than Monaco and half the size of Liechtenstein.



Get in
San Marino has open borders, but foreigners staying more than 20 days in San Marino must have a permit from the government.

By plane
San Marino has no airports. The nearest major airport is at Rimini. There are other airports at Ancona, Bologna and Forlì.

By train
San Marino has no railway stations. The nearest major railway station is at Rimini.

By car
You should have no problems driving into San Marino. Border controls do not exist.

San Marino is highly accessible but can take 3-4 hours from the West.

Mostly all free parking, try not to park right at the bottom of the hill, otherwise it's a long way to the top!

By bus
Bus 72 runs from Rimini to San Marino daily at regular intervals. A return ticket costs around €8. This bus can be found just outside the Rimini train station. Note that if you show up just a few minutes before departure it may be full and you may be told to wait until the next bus, one hour later. It is perhaps then advisable to show up a little bit earlier to ensure enough seats remain on the bus. There is someone selling tickets at the bus stop before the bus arrives.

By other means
There is a 1.5 km cable railway connecting the city of San Marino to Borgo Maggiore.

Get around
Once you're inside the walled city, it's small enough to simply walk around. There are only a few streets on which cars are able to drive (and only if they are small cars).

Talk
The people in San Marino speak a very clear Italian.

Also, due to the high density of Russian tourists, in a lot of shops and restaurants, people speak Russian. The English language can help you get around just fine, since English with the British spelling variation is well taught in all the local schools.

See
You can see two of the three towers (as seen on the flag of San Marino) by purchasing the "Red Card" for €4.50. The "Yellow Card", for €3, only allows you to see one of the towers. You cannot enter the third tower since there does not seem to be an entrance!

Simply walk around the city. The narrow streets are full of surprises. The walkways wind up and down the hillside in an interesting way, inviting exploration.

You can also see the San Marino lake in Faetano where fish can be caught.

Do
Get your passports stamped at the tourist information centre. This is an excellent souvenir as they stick a visa tax stamp and then an official ink stamp over the top, €5.

Buy
€


 * A lot of the souvenir shops sell weapons, from swords to B-B guns.
 * Like other states which have the Euro as their currency, San Marino has its own patterns on the back of the Euro coins. You can try to obtain these coins by simply going around buying things and collecting the coins that way, but a quicker solution is to buy the set in a souvenir shop. Unfortunately, these sets seem to lack the €1 and €2 coins.

Prices for items such as disposable cameras and batteries are cheaper in San Marino than they are in Italy. This is partly because in San Marino you don't have to pay the 20% IVA (VAT) that you have to pay in Italy.

Eat
Obviously Italian dishes, like lasagne, spaghetti alla bolognese, gelato (Italian ice-cream), and whatever you eat in Italy.

Supermarkets in San Marino are few and far-between, although the following can help in this area:


 * Conad. Azzurro Shopping Center, V M Moretti 23, Serravalle
 * Sma Supermercati. Via del Passetto 113, Fiorentino
 * Ristorante Terrazza Titano, Contrada del Collegio 31

Drink

 * The local beer is very tasty.
 * Spirits are also very commonly found, especially Limoncello, a lemon liquor.
 * Try the locally produced wine.
 * The coffee, like in its Italian neighbour, is superb.

Sleep
Although San Marino has a few hotels, the seaside resort of Rimini has a lot more and is probably a cheaper option.


 * Grand Hotel San Marino, The Grand Hotel San Marino rises on the peak of Monte Titano, close to the Rocche and the Old Town Center.

Stay safe
San Marino is a safe country. Like in any other place that attracts many tourists, you should watch out for pickpockets.

Stay healthy
This is a very healthy place. If you become ill, procedures are the same as the European Union, although serious conditions will likely see you transferred to Rimini.

Respect
San Marino is a very proud country and it should be viewed in this respect. Be respectful when having photos taken with the guards, a smile will do, hand gestures/funny faces are not received well.

It would be considered very offensive to call them "Italians" - not that they don't like Italians, but they are just extremely proud of their independence.

Diplomatic missions

 * [[Image:Flag of Austria.svg|20px]] Austria
 * [[Image:Flag of Bulgaria.svg|20px]] Bulgaria
 * [[Image:Flag of Croatia.svg|20px]] Croatia
 * [[Image:Flag of France.svg|20px]] France,, phone: +
 * Flag of the Vatican City.svg
 * [[Image:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]]
 * [[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] Japan
 * Flag of Mexico.svg Mexico
 * [[Image:Flag of Monaco.svg|20px]] Monaco
 * [[Image:Flag of Portugal.svg|20px]]
 * Flag of Romania.svg Romania, Via Valle di Marco 4, phone: +378 0549 995400, Fax: +378 0549 995 576 email: adolfo.morganti@libero.it Honorary Consulate General of Romania in San Marino

San Marino Commons:Category:San Marino Regional/Europe/San Marino/