Hello to all you history aficionados, geography nerds and politics lovers.
Let’s settle this once and for all.

I recently noticed that one of the most searched queries about San Marino is something along the lines of:
“Does San Marino have a President?”

And I get it.
Even in person, this is easily one of the top three questions I hear from curious visitors and friends.
(Alongside: “Does San Marino have its own money?”)

So it’s high time we talk about the political system of San Marino!

Spoiler: we don’t have a President. We have two Captains Regent.

Yes… two!
They are called Capitani Reggenti in Italian, and they are the joint Heads of State of San Marino. Their role is mostly symbolic and representative, a bit like a monarch in a constitutional monarchy; think of the King or Queen in the UK, but elected, temporary, and always in pairs.

And here’s the other fun twist:
They only stay in office for six months.

That means San Marino technically has four different Heads of State per year.
So yes: if you manage to get elected to parliament, there’s a good chance you could end up as Captain Regent at least once in your life. Everyone gets a turn (eventually).

The Captains Regent are elected every year on April 1st and October 1st by the San Marino Parliament (known as the Consiglio Grande e Generale). Both of these days are also an official national holiday.

Their main tasks include representing the Republic at home and abroad, ensuring the constitutional order, and - yes - performing official ceremonies.
But don’t expect them to write policy or run the economy.

So who holds executive power then?

That job belongs to a small group of ministers, known as the Congress of State (Congresso di Stato). This is basically San Marino’s cabinet.
At the head of it all are a handful of Secretaries of State, including:

• the Secretary for Foreign Affairs (often considered the de facto Prime Minister)

• the Secretary for Internal Affairs

• the Secretary for Finance
  ...and so on.

They handle day-to-day governance and public policy.

What about Parliament?

San Marino’s Parliament is called the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale), and it’s made up of 60 members, elected by popular vote every five years.

This council:

• makes laws

• elects the Captains Regent

• approves the state budget

• and appoints the Congress of State

It’s the central institution of our democracy and has existed - in some form - since medieval times!
The Council meets inside the Palazzo Pubblico, the official government building in the City of San Marino (and a rather photogenic one at that).

A little history: where do the Captains Regent come from?

The tradition of electing two Captains Regent dates back to the year 1243 (yes, that’s not a typo).
San Marino was inspired by the ancient Roman idea of having two consuls to prevent absolute power from concentrating in a single hand.

From the beginning, this idea of balanced power wasn’t just about numbers; it was also about social class.
Historically, one Captain Regent would be chosen from the upper noble class, and the other from the people: a merchant, farmer, artisan, or someone outside the old patrician families.
The idea was to represent both the ruling elite and the broader population - centuries before this became standard practice in modern democracies.

This deep-rooted system of dual power is still in place today.
Every six months, two individuals from different political backgrounds are chosen to serve; always together, always temporary.

To this day, that principle remains: no ruler for too long, and never alone.

So… no President. But a system that works (albeit slowly).

San Marino may be tiny, but it’s serious about its democratic heritage.

We don’t have a president.
We have two rotating heads of state, a parliament that traces its roots back centuries, and a system built on the idea that power should be shared, balanced, and never permanent.

It may not be the most streamlined or fast-moving setup for the modern age… but it works.
And it’s lasted longer than pretty much any other.

That’s how things work in the world’s Oldest Republic.

The official colours of San Marino are blue and white.

But here’s something you probably didn’t know: for a while, red was also an official colour.

We were the first nation in the world to democratically elect a communist government.
And not just for a minute. It lasted over a decade.

Oh, and during that time?
We had plenty of diplomatic standoffs with Italy, and constant pressure from the West.

Let’s rewind.

From Fascism to Freedom

After World War II, San Marino - which had managed to remain neutral during the conflict, even while being surrounded by Fascist Italy - needed a fresh start.

The Sammarinese Fascist Party was ousted, and in the general election of 1945, a new coalition swept into power: the Committee of Freedom, made up of the Sammarinese Socialist Party and the Sammarinese Communist Party.

They won 40 out of 60 seats. Game over.

It was the first time a communist-led coalition had been elected to govern a country democratically, and it made San Marino the only communist-ruled state in Western Europe.

Even The New York Times noticed. Reporting on San Marino’s 1949 re-election of its red government, correspondent Camille M. Cianfarra wrote:

“The sovereign republic of San Marino would continue to have the only Communist Government on this side of the Iron Curtain.”

That’s how unique it was.

Not Exactly a Soviet Paradise

Don’t get the wrong idea: this wasn’t a mini Moscow.

Yes, the government leaned left. But it nationalised only three industries (and they were pharmacies, not steel mills). The goal was mostly to make sure that San Marino didn’t fall back into the hands of a few local patrician families, as it had been for centuries.

Still, Cold War nerves were high. And Washington didn’t like red.

The US launched a boycott of San Marino’s economy, pressuring Italy not to sign agreements with the microstate. It worked: San Marino was left out in the cold. Poor and isolated, but still democratic.

Somehow, the Communists kept winning elections: 1949, 1951, 1955.
Always close, but always enough to govern.

Hungary, 1956: The Beginning of the End

Things started to shift in 1956, when the Soviet Union violently crushed the Hungarian Revolution.

Even in Western Europe, many communists distanced themselves from the Soviets. But in San Marino, the Communist Party refused to condemn Moscow.

That caused a fracture.

Five moderate Socialist MPs broke away and formed a new party: the Sammarinese Independent Democratic Socialist Party. This shattered the majority, leading to a 30–30 deadlock in Parliament.

By 1957, San Marino was in a full-blown constitutional crisis.

The Rovereta Affair: Two Governments, No Shots

What happened next was… kind of surreal.

On 19 September 1957, the outgoing government blocked the election of new Heads of State (Captains-Regent) by declaring that several councillors had resigned, using undated letters they’d been forced to sign after the previous election. Classic.

That move effectively shut down Parliament.

In response, the opposition declared a new provisional government. They took over an abandoned factory in Rovereta, on the Italian border, and set up shop.

Italy immediately backed the new government. So did France and the United States. Carabinieri blocked roads. San Marino’s border was sealed.

Inside the country, both governments began forming militias.
A civil war seemed possible, but thankfully, not a single shot was fired. After 22 tense days, the old government gave up.

A New Chapter (with Women’s Votes!)

The new provisional government took power on 11 October 1957 and immediately introduced women’s suffrage - a major step forward for the Republic.

The following elections confirmed the anti-communist coalition in power, and San Marino’s 12-year experiment with democratic communism came to a peaceful end.

From that moment on, the Christian Democrats would dominate San Marino’s politics for decades (Actually… they still kind of do!)

Oh, and One More Thing: A Casino?

Yes, during the Communist government, San Marino opened its first casino, the now-infamous Kursaal.

It didn’t last long.

Italy was less than thrilled about the competition. After just 17 months of diplomatic pressure (and some car wheel-removal antics at the border), San Marino was forced to shut it down.

If you want the full story, we’ve got an article about San Marino’s Casino.

What It All Means

It’s easy to forget just how extraordinary this little Republic has been.

While the world was dividing into Cold War camps, San Marino chose its own path: democratic communism. No coups. No violence. Just the ballot box.

Sure, it ended in a standoff in a factory.
But that’s politics, even in the world’s Oldest Republic.

You might think San Marino is all towers, medieval stone, and stunning views.
But hey, we also know how to roll the dice.

Yes: San Marino had a casino.
Then it didn’t.
And now… it does again.

Here’s the story of Kursaal, pressure from Italy, and the modern return via Giochi del Titano.

Kursaal: Beginnings and Italian Trouble

In 1949, San Marino opened the Kursaal Casino.

It was bold.
Almost scandalous, depending on which side of the border you asked.
The idea: draw in tourists, tourists spend money, San Marino collects cash. Simple.

But Italy, well… Italy had other plans.

The Italian government wasn’t thrilled at the idea of a tiny microstate siphoning off gambling revenue - especially when some of the customers were Italians crossing the border for a cheeky flutter or a quick spin in a tax-friendly republic.

So what did Italy do?

They tightened the screws.
Customs checks. Border harassment. Bureaucratic chokeholds.
There were even reports of visitors having to remove the wheels from their cars before entering the country.

All this, aimed at making life harder for would-be gamblers and crushing the casino’s business model.

And behind the scenes, there was a political element too.
San Marino had a socialist government at the time - democratically elected - in the early days of the Cold War. Not exactly what Italy, aligned with NATO and the West, wanted on its doorstep.

After just 17 months, San Marino waved the white flag.

The Kursaal Casino was shut down in 1951, and Italy had made its point.

The building itself?
It was turned into a conference hall, and it still is to this day.

The Long Silence

What followed was a long, awkward decades-long pause.

The Kursaal - with its elegant floors and faded glamour - became a civic building. And the idea of a casino in San Marino became something you whispered about, not something you proposed.

Officially, there was no casino.
Unofficially, the idea never really died.

San Marino still had the location. It still had the incentive.
But it also had Italy watching… and small countries don’t get to play bold too often.

So, for years, gambling remained a no-go. No roulette wheels. No blackjack tables. No flashy slot machines. Just silence.

Until that changed.

The Comeback: Giochi del Titano

Enter: Giochi del Titano (literally: "Titano Games").

A different name. A different vibe. A different century.

This wasn’t a flashy Riviera-style casino. It wasn’t trying to steal customers from Venice or Sanremo.
It was state-owned, regulated, transparent. And very much legit.

No underground scene. No international incident.
Just a modern gaming facility with slot machines, entertainment, and yes: taxes going back into the local economy.

Giochi del Titano is part of the tourism strategy, part of the entertainment landscape.
It draws visitors. It creates jobs. It contributes to the budget.

Still…

To make Italy okay with it, we suspect San Marino made some concessions.
Customs flows, regulation, maybe revenue-sharing. Or maybe it agreed (unofficially) not to position itself as a competitor to Italian casinos.

Because of legal complexity and scarce archival transparency, we don’t always know the details.

But what matters is this:

The casino is no longer underground, and no longer controversial.
It’s open. It’s official. And it’s here to stay.

The Game Was Rigged (But We Played Anyway)

The Kursaal is now a monument to a time when San Marino dared to take a bold leap… and got slapped down for it.

Giochi del Titano, on the other hand, is the quieter evolution: less glamorous, more sustainable, and less likely to trigger a diplomatic crisis.

In a way, it tells a familiar story:

Even the Oldest Republic in the world has to learn how to play the game.

And in this case, we’ve decided to keep playing - just with a better strategy.

Not a promo!

UNESCO is the “cultural” arm of the United Nations. It aims to build peace through international cooperation in education, science, the arts, and culture.

But this is definitely not a promotional advert for UNESCO.
If I’m honest, I’m not entirely sure what they do day-to-day. I assume it’s important;
and I would absolutely not be the one to argue with Trump, who famously pulled the United States out of UNESCO.

What I do know is this: being a UNESCO World Heritage Site is excellent for tourism - and not exactly an easy badge to earn!

And guess which country has its historic centre and mountain on the list?
You already know. But I’ll say it anyway: San Marino.

What’s on the list

Since 7 July 2008, the Historic Centre of San Marino and Mount Titano have been officially recognised as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.

The designation covers 55 hectares, including:

• Mount Titano itself

• The medieval walled old town with its three fortification towers

• Gates, bastions, and defensive walls

• The Palazzo Pubblico (19th century)

• The Basilica of San Marino (neo-classical, 19th century)

• 14th–16th century convents

• The 18th century Titano Theatre

What makes it special? UNESCO calls it “an exceptional testimony to a representative democracy based on civic autonomy and self-governance, with an uninterrupted continuity as the capital of an independent republic since the 13th century.”

A Republic older than most countries

San Marino is one of the world’s oldest republics, and the only surviving Italian city-state.

Its historic centre is not a fossilised monument: it’s still inhabited and still performs all the institutional roles of a capital. Thanks to its perch on Mount Titano, the city escaped the heavy urban transformations that swept much of Europe from the Industrial Revolution onwards.

And that’s part of the charm: a living medieval capital that still governs itself much as it did centuries ago.

History in stone

Human presence here goes way back, with archaeological remains dating to the third millennium BC. But the San Marino we know begins with Marinus, a stonemason from Dalmatia, who arrived in 301 AD and founded a small community on Mount Titano.

Over the centuries, San Marino:

• Freed itself from the control of bishops and popes

• Expanded its territory (final borders set in 1463)

• Avoided being absorbed into the Papal States

• Fended off a brief papal occupation in 1739

That resilience is written into the walls, towers, and narrow streets you see today.

Why UNESCO said “yes”

Outstanding Universal Value (their words, not mine):

• Criterion (iii): A unique, uninterrupted example of a free republic since the Middle Ages

• A model of democratic governance that influenced Europe

• High authenticity in location, setting, and use

• Strong visual identity - from the Three Towers to the panoramic views from Piazza della Libertà

UNESCO also highlighted the 19th–20th century restoration works by architect Gino Zani, whose “medievalisation” style aimed to create an idealised historic image, now part of the city’s own layered history.

Bonus UNESCO recognition

In April 2025, San Marino achieved another UNESCO milestone:
The manuscript Vita Sanctorum Marini et Leonis was added to the Memory of the World Register.

This medieval text - presented jointly by San Marino, Italy, and Croatia - tells the life of Saint Marinus, the republic’s founder, strengthening cultural ties between the three nations.
It’s the second UNESCO recognition for San Marino, after the 2008 World Heritage inscription.

Why it matters for visitors

Being a UNESCO site isn’t just a badge of honour - it’s a tourism magnet.
It guarantees that the historic heart of San Marino will be preserved, protected, and promoted internationally.

For you, the visitor, it means:

• Walking streets largely unchanged since medieval times

• Exploring towers, bastions, and theatres still in use

• Experiencing one of the world’s oldest functioning republics - without the crowds you’d find in larger European capitals

Final thought

UNESCO recognition might not change the daily life of Sammarinese people all that much, but it cements something we already knew:
San Marino isn’t just a curiosity… it’s a living piece of world heritage!

War is bad, neutrality is better

Conflicts are never easy.
And wars? One of the worst things that can happen to humanity.

We, as humans, are all brothers and sisters: so why attack each other over a flag?

That’s always been San Marino’s approach. We’ve remained proudly neutral throughout our modern history, keeping our heads down while the world around us spun into chaos. And that strategy?
It’s helped preserve our independence to this very day, even when figures like Napoleon were roaming Europe.
(But we’ll save that story for another time.)

So when World War II broke out, San Marino did what it always does: stayed neutral.
That didn’t stop us, however, from being bombed anyway - by the UK, no less - toward the end of the war.

And just for context: I’m not here to take sides.
I’m both a San Marino national and an acquired British citizen.
I lived in the UK for most of my young adult life, and I love the United Kingdom deeply. Very deeply.
So let’s take a look at both perspectives.

The 1944 bombing: what happened?

On 26 June 1944, Allied forces bombed San Marino.

Specifically, the Royal Air Force dropped bombs targeting rail lines, but civilian areas were hit as well.
63 civilians were killed.

Why?

According to the British government, intelligence reports claimed that German troops were using San Marino’s railway network to move weapons and supplies.
So, in classic better-safe-than-sorry fashion, the RAF bombed the rail infrastructure.

Except… the intel was wrong.

The British perspective

Let’s be fair.
From the UK’s point of view, San Marino - while technically neutral - had a fascist government, which had been in place since the 1920s.
And it was completely surrounded by Fascist Italy, a full-blown Axis power.

So suspicions? Totally understandable.

They thought German forces might be exploiting our tiny territory to transport goods undetected.
And in the fog of war, that was enough to push the button.

The San Marino reality

Yes, San Marino had a fascist government.
But let’s be honest: we didn’t really have a choice.
Being surrounded on all sides by Mussolini’s Italy, the regime was more about survival than ideology.

And despite that, San Marino:

• Didn’t join the war

• Didn’t host Axis troops

• And most importantly: gave shelter to thousands of refugees, including many Jewish families fleeing persecution.

Some of those Jewish families rebuilt their lives here; and to this day, certain surnames found in San Marino were born from those new identities.
We wrote more about that in our Torta Tre Monti article.

The aftermath

You can probably guess how San Marino felt after the war.

We’d stayed neutral. Helped those in need.
And still got bombed, based on intelligence that was later proven false.

In the years that followed, the Republic formally asked the UK for compensation.
The British government eventually paid £80,000 in damages: an amount many consider largely symbolic.

It could be a fun (and slightly bitter) exercise to calculate what that would be today, adjusted for inflation - and see whether the sum was actually fair.
But here’s something we do know:

After the bombing, San Marino never rebuilt its railway.
That single day in 1944 reshaped our entire infrastructure, and helps explain why we now hold the world record for cars per capita.
(See our article on that here)

One small country, one painful chapter

To this day, 1944 remains the only time in history San Marino was bombed or attacked.

Not bad for a country that’s been around since the year 301.
Let’s just say... neutrality usually works.

It's not all well and good in the Oldest Republic!

Indeed, San Marino holds a rather controversial record, and it’s definitely not one to make Greta Thunberg smile:

There are more cars than people in San Marino.

For a country with fewer than 34,000 residents, there are about 54,000 registered vehicles. That means roughly 1,604 cars for every 1,000 people. Yes, really.

That gives San Marino yet another quirky Guinness World Record:

It’s the country with the highest number of cars per capita in the entire world.

Why so many cars?

Sure, Sammarinese do love their wheels. That might have something to do with being next-door neighbours to Italy’s "Motor Valley" - home to Ferrari, Lamborghini, Ducati, and Maserati.

But there’s another, more practical reason behind this motor madness.

Once upon a railway

Until World War II, San Marino actually had a functioning railway line, connecting it to the nearby city of Rimini. But in 1944, despite being officially neutral, the railway was bombed.

And what did San Marino’s post-war leaders do?

Did they rebuild the railway? Of course not.

They said: "The future is cars!"

So instead of fixing the trains, they built roads. Lots of roads. And to this day, the country remains rail-free. The only traces left of the old line are scattered ruins and one restored section used mostly as a tourist curiosity.

If you’re visiting…

Get ready to drive. Or hop on a coach. There’s no train, no metro, no tram. Just roads. And cars. Everywhere.

On the plus side? San Marino licence plates look amazing.

So while the Republic may be tiny, its car culture is larger than life.

Layers of history (and hazelnut cream)

San Marino might be the Oldest Republic in the world, but it’s also the birthplace of something far less political and far more delicious: a layered, chocolate-covered cake called Torta Tre Monti. Think of it as a national monument you can eat.

This dessert has become a symbol of San Marino. Locals buy it for birthdays, tourists take it home in souvenir tins, and every bite whispers stories of war, resilience, and - possibly - Austrian pastries.

The recipe? Still secret. The process? Still handmade. The taste? Somewhere between a giant, elegant wafer and a nostalgic sugar bomb.

Born in wartime, raised on tradition

The Tre Monti Cake was first baked in 1942, right in the middle of World War II. San Marino, surrounded by fascist Italy, had become a refuge for thousands fleeing persecution - including an Austrian Jewish woman and her husband, who ended up helping distribute the cake across Italy. That friendship may have influenced the recipe: legend has it that the idea of using wafer layers came from her.

It’s a detail that opens up a tantalising possibility: what if San Marino, through this unexpected cultural exchange, actually invented the modern wafer cake? Some locals still say it. And honestly, they might have a point.

The anatomy of a (very edible) icon

Torta Tre Monti literally means “Cake of the Three Mountains” - a reference to the iconic towers of Guaita, Cesta and Montale perched on Mount Titano. Each cake is built from five crisp wafer layers, sandwiched with a rich cocoa-hazelnut filling, and sealed in a glossy shell of dark chocolate.

It looks like a giant puck. It tastes like childhood. And it’s made the same way it was 80 years ago: with custom wafer presses, no preservatives, and only the best ingredients - many sourced locally. (Chocolate from Belgium. Heart from San Marino.)

More than dessert

During the war, when bombs fell on nearby regions, the same machines used to make the cake were repurposed to bake food for refugees hiding in the tunnels of the local railway. That alone should earn the Torta Tre Monti a place in the national archives.

Today, the cake still represents something bigger than itself: tradition, craftsmanship, and the sweet stubbornness of a country that’s always done things its own way.

So… did San Marino invent the wafer?

Well, nobody can say for sure. But when your national dessert has survived world wars, helped refugees, and maybe - just maybe - inspired an entire genre of industrial pastry… you’ve earned the right to at least entertain the idea.

And either way, once you taste it, you probably won’t care.

Cash rules everything around me

Whenever I meet someone from abroad and tell them I’m from San Marino, one of the top three questions is always:
“Do you guys have your own currency?”

(That’s the bronze medal question. Silver and gold? We’ll get to those in another article.)

Right now, San Marino uses the Euro.
Although we’re not in the European Union - not yet, at least - we’ve had a monetary agreement with the EU since the early 2000s. That’s why, if you’re lucky, you might spot the beautiful San Marino coat of arms on the back of your 1-Euro coin.

We’ve been officially using the Euro since the very beginning: January 1st, 2002.
I still remember New Year’s Eve 2001. I was a kid, excited not just about fireworks but about the fact that, the next morning, we’d wake up in the Euro era. Good times.

That said, our Euros are mostly collector's items. You won’t find many of them in actual circulation. There are also a few extra commemorative coins for - wait for it - numismatics. (Yes, that’s the word for coin collecting. You're welcome.)

But before the euro, San Marino used the Italian Lira. And before that? Still the Italian Lira. San Marino never really had its own independent currency. And that’s not by chance.

Since 1862, a treaty of “Friendship and Good Neighbourliness” (yes, that’s the actual name) has governed relations between Italy and San Marino. Among other things, it basically said:
“You can mint coins, sure - but keep it symbolic. Don’t go wild.”

The time San Marino did go wild
(And tried to mint a Million in Gold)

Let’s rewind to 1895. San Marino had just finished building its brand-new Parliament (Palazzo Pubblico) for a whopping 350,000 Lire. And state finances were… let’s say, under pressure.

That’s when a bold idea came up.

A proposal landed on the desk of the San Marino Congress: why not mint coins - real ones, in gold and silver - for a total of 2 Million Lire?

The plan had heavyweight backing: it was suggested by none other than Senator Gaspare Finali, president of Italy’s Court of Auditors. He believed the 1862 and 1872 treaties didn’t explicitly forbid large-scale coinage.
So, San Marino figured: let’s do this.

And they did.
On August 3rd, 1895, the Grand Council of San Marino approved an official decree authorising the minting of one Million in gold coins and one Million in silver, all in line with Italian standards (weight, size, purity).

It was bold. It was strategic. It was… short-lived.

Rome was not amused
(And by “not amused,” we mean furious)

Italy didn’t take the news lightly. Within weeks, Rome formally denounced the 1872 treaty, triggering a diplomatic standoff. San Marino’s dream of golden coins was suddenly on thin ice.

Eventually, negotiations resumed, but by then the damage was done. The revised treaty signed in 1897 made it very clear: no large-scale coinage. You can mint a few silver coins for collectors, but don’t even think about gold.

Which is why in 1898, San Marino finally issued its first real coins - beautiful silver ones, but worth only 150,000 Lire in total.
That million-lire golden fantasy? Back in the drawer.

So, does San Marino have its own money?
Not exactly. But we tried.

And if you ever find a shiny San Marino euro in your pocket, just know: it’s not just a coin. It’s a tiny symbol of a republic that once dreamed big - maybe too big - and ended up with a few beautiful silver coins instead of a Million in gold.

Here on Oldest Republic, we're talking geology today!

I know, I know.
What could be more thrilling than... a piece of rock?

Please don’t close the tab just yet!
I promise I’ll make it worth your while.

We’re about to talk about a mountain that snowboarded across Italy on a tectonic slipstream.
And a whale.
A whale on a mountain.

What about that?
Is that enough to keep you reading?

🪨 So, what’s the deal with Mount Titan?

Mount Titan (Monte Titano) rises suddenly out of the gentle hills around it - like a big rock that showed up uninvited.
There are no other peaks nearby. It just stands there on its own, clearly not blending in. Like your introvert friend at a house party.

It’s strange enough that people have come up with all kinds of theories to explain how it got there.

One early idea (now completely wrong) said that Titan slid here from the Alps, pushed along by a giant glacier during the Ice Age.
Sounds cool, but... no glaciers ever made it this far.

Another theory claimed it was once a coral island, like a fossilised reef. That didn’t hold up either.

So what do geologists actually believe?

🌊 A mountain born underwater

The most accepted theory today is much cooler, and actually makes sense.

Mount Titan, the mountain at the heart of San Marino, was formed during the last phase of the Tertiary Era, a time when the Earth was shaking constantly and new mountain ranges were rising from the sea like giant folds.

Back then - and we’re talking 15 to 20 million years ago - this whole area was underwater.

The rock that became Mount Titan was just one piece of a bigger mass on the ocean floor.
Thanks to earthquakes and tectonic shifts, it eventually broke off and started moving east, sliding slowly along a natural trench underwater; probably starting somewhere around today’s Liguria or Tuscany.

Yes, Titan moved - or rather, it was pushed - like a rock surfing slowly through ancient Italy.

Eventually, it came out of the sea along with other rocky neighbours like San Leo, La Verna, and Fumaiolo. All sharp, lonely hills that seem to share a common origin.

🐋 Oh, and about that whale

In 1897, close to the top of Mount Titan - about 600 metres above sea level - someone found a fossil.
Not a shell. Not a leaf.
A whale.

A whale from the Miocene era, to be exact.
First called Aulocetus sammarinensis, later renamed Titanocetus: which literally means “Titano whale.”

It’s now considered an early form of baleen whale, about six metres long, with a skull just over one metre.
And it’s named after San Marino’s mountain.

Let’s be honest:
How many mountains in the world have a whale fossil named after them?

That’s right. Just us.

🏔 From ancient sea to national symbol

Over millions of years, the sea disappeared, and the wind and rain shaped Mount Titan into what we see today: three pointy peaks; the same ones you’ll find on San Marino’s coins, our flag, and pretty much every souvenir.

But the next time you look up at Mount Titan, remember:
You’re not just seeing a lump of rock.
You’re looking at a former sea floor, a wandering mountain, and yes: a place that once hosted a whale.

Not bad for a chunk of limestone, right?

So far, the response to Oldest Republic has been great.
People are curious, engaged, and genuinely fascinated by this tiny mountaintop country.
But after a few articles (and more than a few DMs), I realised something:

It’s not just stories people want: it’s recommendations.

Where to eat?
What activities to do?
What to see (besides the three towers)?
How to avoid the tourist traps and experience the real San Marino?

And that’s how San Marino is... was born.

It’s a practical, tourist-friendly guide created to help you explore the country like a local.
Written by someone who actually lives here - and was born and bred here (hello!) - it covers everything from hidden views to memorable meals, scenic walks, and cultural gems you might otherwise miss.

No fluff, no generic lists.
Just real advice from someone who knows the mountain inside out. And loves it.

If you're planning a visit to San Marino - or already here and wondering what to do after lunch - San Marino is... has you covered.

This place might be small, but trust me: there's a lot to discover.

How do you get your own bust inside the Parliament of the Republic of San Marino?
(Which we call Palazzo Pubblico, literally “Public Palace,” because we’re cool like that.)

I don’t know the official tutorial, but at least I know someone who pulled it off: Abraham Lincoln.

It all started in March 1861, when San Marino sent a letter to Lincoln that began like this:

“For some time now, the Republic of San Marino has desired to establish an alliance with the United States of America in whatever way is possible between a great power and a very small country.”

Talk about kissing up.

But honestly? A smart move.
At the time, the Kingdom of Italy hadn’t yet formalised full recognition of San Marino as an independent state, so getting friendly with the U.S. was... let’s say, strategic.

Most importantly, in that same letter, San Marino granted honorary citizenship to the President of the United States.

And the letter ended with this gem:

“We wanted to write to you with our own hand, and in English, although we have little knowledge and no practice with the language.”

I mean... that’s how you end a letter with flair.

Now, if the story ended here, it might not be quite worthy of Oldest Republic.
But this is not where it ends.

Against all odds, and despite being in the middle of a not-so-small civil war;
Abraham Lincoln actually replied in May 1861.

In that reply, he graciously accepted the honorary citizenship and, in doing so, indirectly recognised San Marino’s independence.

And that, dear readers, is how you earn yourself a bust in our parliament!
That bust still stands today, inscribed with some of the most powerful passages from Lincoln’s letter -which, by the way, is basically presidential poetry.

Here it is, in full.
The bolded lines are the ones engraved in the Palazzo Pubblico.

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Great and Good Friends,

I have received and read with great sensibility the letter which as Regent Captains of the Republic of San Marino you addressed to me on the 29th of March last.
I thank the Council of San Marino for the honor of citizenship they have conferred upon me.

Although your dominion is small, your State is nevertheless one of the most honored, in all history.
It has by its experience demonstrated the truth, so full of encouragement to the friends of Humanity, that Government founded on Republican principles is capable of being so administered as to be secure and enduring.

You have kindly adverted to the trial through which this Republic is now passing.
It is one of deep import.
It involves the question whether a Representative republic, extended and aggrandized so much as to be safe against foreign enemies, can save itself from the dangers of domestic faction.
I have faith in a good result.

Wishing that your interesting State may endure and flourish forever, and that you may live long and enjoy the confidence and secure the gratitude of your fellow citizens,
I pray God to have you in his holy keeping.

Your Good Friend,
Abraham Lincoln

When you ask an Italian, “Which part of Italy has the best food?”, they’ll almost always reply either “my city” or “the region I’m from” -depending on how insular (or territorial) they are.

In that regard, San Marino is no different. We genuinely believe we have the best food on the Italian peninsula.
(Or should I dare say... the world?)

Still, I’ll try to be as objective as I can in proving my point.

The Republic of San Marino is obviously an independent state, but it shares a lot of culture and history with the surrounding Romagna region of Italy, especially when it comes to food.

Romagna itself is fascinating for many reasons -like the fact that it was once a border region of the Roman Empire (remember Ariminum? That’s present-day Rimini).
But today’s not a history lesson... it’s 11am and I’m starting to get hungry.
So let’s talk about food, shall we?

Why do San Marino and Romagna have the best food? (Rationally)

Let’s start with the data, the facts, the reliable sources.

The Financial Times called Romagna “second to none” for earthy recipes and seafood, and even dubbed the area “the cradle of Italian cuisine.”

The Guardian wrote that Emilia-Romagna is “one of the world’s top foodie regions.”

But you might argue that the Financial Times and the Guardian -although they’re probably some of the best and most objective newspapers in the world- aren’t exactly food specialists.

Fair. So let’s go a step further.
Gourmet Traveller called it “Italy’s gastronomic epicentre.”

Or maybe you’re more of a magazine person.
Forbes called Emilia-Romagna “Italy's greatest gastronomic treasure.”

And for the sceptics and conspiracy theorists out there who think "specialist press is fake news", fine: let’s go democratic.
Even NRN readers ranked Emilia-Romagna first in Italy. (Okay, technically it tied with Sicily -transparency matters!)

So hopefully, that was enough to convince you rationally.

Now let me switch to something even more persuasive...

Why does Romagna have the best food? (Emotionally!)

Because all the ones I call the “heavyweights of Italian cuisine” come from this region:

• Lasagne comes from Romagna

• Ravioli comes from Romagna

• Tagliatelle comes from Romagna

What more do I even need to say?

And if that weren’t enough, Romagna also has (in my opinion) the best seafood cuisine in Italy.
And even the best fast food:
Piadina! (Which was, of course, born here.)

That’s enough for this article.
I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves.

This happens to me often.
Especially in my home country, which has a very, very long past: The Republic of San Marino.

San Marino was founded in the year 301 AD by a stonemason called... you’ll never guess it: Marino.
Well, to be precise, his name was Marinus. Because of Roman times and all that.

Marinus came from Arbe, a city in the region of Dalmatia (modern-day Croatia), and was called to help rebuild the walls of Ariminum, the city we now know as Rimini.

I’m sure we’ll have a chance to talk about Rimini another time.
It’s a fantastic place, even if it does have a bit of a rivalry with San Marino.

But more importantly, we’ll definitely talk more about Marinus.
Like the legend where he tamed a bear, or the one where he resisted the temptations of a woman sent by the devil himself.
(I’m not saying I’ve met similar women in my own life, but... let’s just say the devil’s recruiting office has been busy.)

For now, all you need to know is that Marinus founded a small Christian community on a mountain called Titan (Monte Titano), which eventually became the Republic of San Marino.
Oh, and yes -he eventually became a saint, but I bet you guessed that too.

The fact that all of this happened in 301 AD makes San Marino the oldest surviving republic in the world.

And I do mean surviving.
Sure, the Greeks and Romans had republics before us, but they’re not exactly around anymore (HAHA!)

Now, “Oldest Surviving Republic” might be historically accurate… but let’s face it, not the catchiest name for a publication.
So I kept it simple: Oldest Republic.

This is just the beginning.
I’ve got so many stories to tell -legends, quirks, politics, pasta- and a whole mountain’s worth of curiosity to share.
So if you haven’t already… you’d better subscribe.