"San Marino - World's oldest republic " a San Marino Travel Page by Willettsworld

San Marino at just 61 kmē is one of the so called microstates of Europe - the others being Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco and Vatican City - the smallest of them all. San Marino is an enclave in Italy, on the border between the regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. Its topography is dominated by the Apennines mountain range, and it has a rugged terrain. The highest point in the country, Monte Titano, is situated at 755 m above sea level. Being completely surrounded by Italy, there is no significant difference between the population of San Marino and Italy and many Italians live in San Marino. The state has a population of less than 29,000 including 5,000 Sammarineses living in foreign countries and 1,000 foreigners living in San Marino. San Marino is divided into nine municipalities, known locally as castelli, that are also towns.

The main town of San Marino is the capital town of the state which is also called San Marino and lies perched on top of Mount Titano. Your first impression of it is that its a very clean and orderly town full of tourists that want to say that they've visited. With this in mind, the locals have opened many touristy souvenir shops to capture this day-trip trade. These do spoil the character of the place but don't let them put you off as San Marino offers visitors beautiful cliff top castles and narrow winding streets.

History:

San Marino, the world's third-smallest state, also claims to be the world's oldest republic. According to tradition, San Marino was founded in AD 301 when a Christian stonemason named Marinus the Dalmatian fled from the Dalmatian island of Arbe to escape the anti-Christian Roman Emperor Diocletian. Marinus hid on the peak of Mount Titano (the highest of San Marino's seven hills) and founded a small community following Christian beliefs. The owner of the land, a sympathetic lady of Rimini bequeathed it to the little Christian community. It is certain that the area had been inhabited since prehistoric times, although evidence of existence on Mount Titano dates back only to the middle ages. In memory of the stonecutter, the land was renamed "Land of San Marino," and was finally changed to its present-day name, "Republic of San Marino." Its written constitution was adopted on October 8, 1600.