Towers and curiosities: San Marino rewards a detour
Europe is a good hunting ground for collectors of microstates: Andorra, Liechtenstein, Vatican City, Malta, San Marino and Monaco qualify by dint of size and population.
Two are completely within Italy's borders. The smallest of the small, Vatican City (less than a fifth of a square mile in size) gets almost 7 million visitors a year.
Only a fraction of that number makes it to the 24-square-mile Republic of San Marino, located 18 miles southwest of Rimini and 80 miles southeast of Bologna.
Its status as an independent republic was a fluke of history: When Giuseppe Garibaldi was trying to unify Italy in the 19th century, he ran into trouble and took refuge in San Marino, which had been independent for some 1,500 years at that point. When he asked for refuge, it was granted, but conditional: San Marino must not be incorporated into Italy. Garibaldi agreed and kept his promise.
The altar at the Basilica di San Marino has a statue of Saint Marinus, the microstate's namesake. Photo Credit: Arnie Weissmann
Today, it is among the more interesting microstates, in large measure owing to its centuries-old defenses. The walled part of the state rises quite steeply and is topped by towers and fortifications that are picturesque and command stunning views. On a clear day you can see the Adriatic, 6 miles away.
The fortified towers, and the paths between them, are the main attraction of San Marino. They can be visited upon purchase of an 11-euro ticket (a bit more than $12). The first two feature courtyards, prison cells and museums; the third can be visited but not entered.
The town's basilica, still in use, can't compare to St. Peter's in Vatican City (or, frankly, dozens of others in Italy) but is worthwhile entering for its architecture, statuary, paintings and relics.
Like most of the other smallest countries, San Marino makes a fair amount of its revenue from the sale of stamps and coins (there are 10 post offices). Should you want the tourist office to put a stamp on your passport, it will cost just over $6.
And similar to other microstates, San Marino relies heavily on tourism. Part of what makes these countries interesting to visitors is how, ultimately, they differentiate themselves. Unlike Andorra, it doesn't rely on duty-free shopping, but shopping is a distinguishing factor nonetheless: Its liberal gun laws mean that a significant percentage of the shops next to souvenir stands and toy stores sell weapons, from pistols and rifles to sinister-looking knives and swords. (There is a store that comes close to trademark infringement, calling itself "Target.")
San Marino has liberal firearm laws, and weapon shops sit cheek-by-jowl with souvenir and toy stores. Photo Credit: Arnie Weissmann
There's also a distillery in San Marino that turns out a surprisingly good vodka and amaro, an herbal liqueur. The liquor store I went into also had a variety of wine bottles with labels featuring world leaders from Hitler to Stalin, Obama and Trump.
It would be no surprise that San Marino has a Stamp and Coin Museum and exhibits and multimedia presentations featuring its history, but it also has private museums that are, to put it mildly, quirky. There's the Museum of Curiosities, featuring oddball inventions. There's a wax museum that has a special focus on re-creating scenes of torture, perhaps to compete with the Museum of Medieval Criminology and Torture, which is just an easy stroll from the Museum of Creatures of the Night -- Vampires and Werewolves.
The main street entering the walled city with the Palazzo Pubblico in the background. Photo Credit: Arnie Weissmann
Restaurant menus in San Marino are indistinguishable from those in nearby Italian towns, and the grocery stores are stocked primarily with Italian products. But keep your eyes open for locally produced olives, olive oil and ricotta cheese.
The town punches above its weight when it comes to festivals, with several every month. A wine, food and music festival, car and bicycle races, jazz and classical music festivals are somewhat similar to what's held in surrounding Italy, but San Marino also veers into unexpected territory, hosting a steampunk party, a board game convention, archery contests and gatherings for fans of comic books and Vespas.
I completed my collection of European microstates with San Marino and would add it to the list of those that merit clients going out of their way to see. It's within Italy, but it's not Italy. And despite its focus on weapons and the macabre, it ultimately lives up to its former formal billing: "The Serene Republic of San Marino."
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