80% of San Marino is rocky, and only 32 thousand people live on an area of ​​60.6 square kilometers.


According to legend, in 301 AD, a Christian saint from the island of Rab in the Adriatic Sea (territory of present-day Croatia), a stonecutter named Marin took refuge at the top of Mount Titano.

Therefore, formally, San Marino has been considered an independent state since September 301. In fact, one can speak of independence only since the 16th century, when Italy split into many independent territories.

The area of ​​the state territory is only 60.57 sq. km. The country is located at an altitude of 738 m above sea level on the southwestern slope of the Monte Titano mountain range. In the photo: the government palace:

San Marino has very low taxes, which is why many seek to obtain local citizenship. But it is extremely difficult to do this, and at best, after 15 years of being married to a San Mari.

Snow in San Marino is quite rare and usually doesn't linger too long. But 2 weeks before our arrival, there was plenty of it: during our stay in the shady areas we came across meter-long snowdrifts:

Unlike Italy, where sweet wines are not accepted, there are more than enough of them in San Marino. Personally, I liked the plum one the most, although, of course, each had its own flavor.

Despite the low taxes, prices in San Marino are generally not lower than in Italian stores.

Low taxes also give rise to a wide variety of banks.

The total length of state roads is only 104 km and they are all winding:

A high economic level has a positive effect on the level of a car. Italian supercars are much easier to meet here than in neighboring Italy.

Around narrow streets:

The higher you climb up, the more beauty of nature opens up to us. On the clearest days, you can see Croatia with binoculars.

San Marino is in the Italian visa area.

On the top of Mount Titano (755 meters), the Cesta fortress was built in the 16th century. Although the tower has been rebuilt several times, its medieval appearance has not been lost:

The most important of the three famous San Mari towers is the Guaita Tower. It was originally used as a watchtower and fortress. Subsequently, some of the premises of the fortress were used as a prison, because it is extremely difficult to escape from here, because the tower is surrounded by a double ring of fortress walls:

Tourism plays a significant role in the country's economy, and up to 2 million people are involved in the tourism industry on the territory of the state annually. More than 3 million tourists visit San Marino every year.

Photo taken by Max_Ryazanov - wikimedia.org.

San Marino is a dwarf state located in Italy, on the slopes of Monte Titano. There is a tunnel in the middle of the mountain that connects San Marino with the Adriatic coast. Croatia can be seen from the top of the mountain through binoculars. 80% of the country's territory is made of rocks. San Marino is considered the oldest republic in Europe, since it became formally independent in 301.

Here's another thing that surprises foreigners who have visited this dwarf state:

1. The inhabitants of San Marino consider their time from the day of the founding of the country, therefore now in this country - the XVII century. The country has never been conquered by foreigners.

Photo taken by 123rf.com.

2. Here, like nowhere else in Europe, the spirit of the Middle Ages hovers. Almost all residents of the country live in old houses or castles. It is a land of narrow streets and an endless array of steps. It is especially loved by tourists; at least 3 million people visit San Marino a year.

3. Residents of San Marino are friendly, open-minded, sociable people, less expressive than Italians. Do not call the Sanmarine Italian for anything, he will definitely not be happy, since he respects the independent state very much. The official language in the country is Italian. Introducing themselves, the residents of San Marino are used to saying not only their name, but also their profession or position. In the country of 32 thousand inhabitants, 80% are local and 19% Italians. Many Sanmarines live in Italy, France and the USA.

Photo taken by APPER - wikimedia.org.

4. Low taxes make San Marino an attractive place to live, start banking institutions and businesses. But citizenship of this country can be obtained only after 15 years of legal marriage with a Sanmarine or after 30 years of official residence in this country.

5. There is no customs control at the entrance to San Marino. On the road leading to the country from the resort of Rimini, you can see a symbolic arch with the inscription “Welcome to the Land of Freedom”.

6. The San Marino football team won the only match in its history - against Liechtenstein, and occupies a very low place in the world rankings. Many footballers have other jobs and represent their country as amateurs.

Airplanes do not fly there today, and even trains do not go ... What kind of place is this and why is it so inaccessible? We are talking about a tiny state on Mount Titano. It's called San Marino. You can get to this country only by road or by cable car. About 30 thousand people live here. Like any mini-state, San Marino is a scattering of curious facts and interesting things. Here are just a few of them ...

View of one of the castles, Italy is already below

• The state was founded in 301 AD;


• San Marino is the third smallest country in Europe. Only the Vatican and Monaco are even smaller. And the fifth in the world;


• The armed forces of San Marino are large, ranging from 75 to 100;


• The San Marino Constitution was adopted in 1600 and is one of the oldest;


• The economy of a mini-state is built on the banking sector, insurance, trade, services and construction. At the same time, about a quarter (!) Of the country's annual budget is income from the sale of postage stamps;

View of the surroundings of Mount Monte Titano

• The people of San Marino are sure they are living in the 18th century. The reason for this is that they have their own calendar. And the chronology is from the moment of the formation of the state;


• There are two people at the head of the state. A real tandem :) But we'll come back to this later;


• During World War II, the inhabitants of Mount Titano hosted over 100,000 refugees, three times their current population;


• The total length of all roads in this country is 104 km. By the way, there is only one Moscow Ring Road with a length of 109 km.


• The San Marino national football team has won only one victory in history. The Liechtenstein team was humiliated.

Modern street along the old fortress wall

Many interesting things can be found in the military history of San Marino. Yes, there was such a thing! Here to Once again, the troops of the next Pope decided to seize a small but proud state. This was in 1543. They selected 500 people, who were instructed to storm the mountain under cover of darkness. All night these gallant soldiers staggered through the ravines, but they could not find a suitable way up. The battle did not take place.

Tower at the top of the mountain

Old-timers say that when Napoleon was in these places, he was impressed by the view of San Marino and immediately offered to conclude a peace treaty. As a nice bonus, I offered several succulent lands outside Monte Titano. But the guys thought about it and gave up the land, signing only the document of the French emperor.

The square and the statue of liberty

Probably the last significant conflict in San Marino occurred in 1951, when resourceful residents decided to build a casino and a modern TV and radio station on their mountain. The Italians categorically disliked this, and they even declared a blockade. It was useless to resist and the San Marino highlanders abandoned their venture.

Local ladies

The political structure of San Marino is also quite curious. The heads of state are two captain-regents appointed by the Grand General Council (a local parliament of 60). Captains-regents are elected for a period of 6 months (!), From April 1 to October 1 and from October 1 to April 1 of each year. They perform the functions of the head of state and exercise executive power. There are as many as 6 parties in the country.

Doves live in the old tower

A visit to this miniature state left only positive emotions for me. All around you can hear the Russian language (well, where you can't hear it now). Many Russians get a job here for the summer, since the number of tourists from faraway Russia is quite decent. Most arrive in the Italian resort of Rimini and come here to look at the curiosity: "No, well, look! The state is on the mountain!".

Colorful Emilia-Romagna

The mountain offers a beautiful view of the surrounding land. For those who love antiquity, there are very colorful medieval castles and a sea of ​​other museums. I managed to talk with several indigenous San Mariners, they smiled a lot and tried to understand where I came from. As a result, for some reason they decided that I was from Belarus. It was not possible to convince them.

A very strange flash mob. The guys lay on their backs and sometimes kicked their legs

Considering the size of the state and the number of tourist sites, there is not much to do here for more than two days. Fortunately, there is an airport and the sea nearby. As a nice bonus, after the photos, you can watch Time Lapse about this wonderful country. The author of the video is Roberto Torsani.

Such a lock is easy not to take

Castle courtyard

View from the tower to the city

The hunt for a good shot

Night city atmosphere

Italy does not look like boots, but like a fairy tale :)

This guy says to you, "Thanks for reading the post!"

And here is the promised video

The small country called San Marino cannot be reached by train or plane due to the fact that there is no railway or airport. The small town of Borgo Maggiore has the only heliport in the country, but it is intended, as the name implies, to serve exclusively helicopters. Therefore, most of the tourists arrive in San Marino by road. And this country is amazing, here are just some interesting facts about the tiny state.

The territory of San Marino is just over 60 square kilometers, and is home to about 30 00 inhabitants. On all sides, this state is surrounded by Italy.

San Marino can be called one of the oldest states in Europe. As early as 301 AD, the stonemason Marin arrived here from the island of Rab, who was a Christian and fled here, to Mount Titano, hiding from persecution for his beliefs.

Later, Marin was canonized, and the day of his memory, September 3, is celebrated in the country as a public holiday. Saint Marin is considered the founder and patron saint of the state of San Marino.

There are only two states in Europe that are smaller than San Marino. These are the Vatican and Monaco.

San Marino even has its own army. True, its numbers can bring a smile: the permanent contingent numbers from 75 to 100 people. The servicemen are mainly engaged in participating in national holidays and meeting foreign delegations.

We live in the 21st century, this is an obvious fact for us. But in San Marino it is still only the eighteenth century. This is due to the fact that the country has its own chronology, which dates back to the creation of the state - from 301.

If the country's own population is only 30,000 inhabitants, then up to 3,000,000 tourists come here annually. It is easy to calculate that there are 100 times more of them than the locals.

By the way, it is tourism that is the main item in the state budget replenishment. In addition, San Marino earns a good income from the sale of postage stamps.

Is it possible for a foreigner to obtain citizenship of San Marino? It is possible, for example, by marrying a person who already has the citizenship of this country. 15 years later, after marriage, an application for citizenship is submitted. Or use the "simpler" option - to live in San Marino for 30 years! Moreover, the countdown does not start from the moment one enters the country, but after receiving a residence permit. You will also have to renounce the citizenship of your former country: dual citizenship is not allowed in San Marino.

Despite the fact that San Marino is located inside Italy, the average income of a resident of this country is much higher than that of an Italian.

The official language in San Marino is Italian. But, the Sanmarines themselves do not like very much when they are called Italians. They pride themselves on having their own citizenship and constitution. In 1861, even the President of the United States expressed his respect for this small country, indicating in his letter: "Despite the fact that your country is small, it is one of the most revered in history."

The San Marino national football team began participating in international tournaments thirty years ago - in the late eighties of the last century. True, she did not achieve great success. Throughout its history, San Marino players have won one and only victory, moreover, in a friendly match. This event took place on April 28, 2004, when the players from San Marino were able to score one goal against the Liechtenstein national team.

San Francisco was founded by the Spanish and rose to prominence during the gold rush. In the center of the city there is Russian Hill, Russian Hills. It received this name back in the days of the Gold Rush, when the burials of Russian merchants and sailors were discovered on the hill. The hillsides are so steep that some streets rise in tiers. Lombard Street in the Russian Hills is considered the most winding in the world.

The symbol of San Francisco and one of the symbols of the United States is the Golden Gate Bridge. It was once the longest suspension bridge in the world. But even having given the palm to others, he did not lose his splendor. Car traffic on the bridge was started on a personal signal from Roosevelt. When in 1987 the fiftieth anniversary of the opening of the bridge was celebrated, about 300 thousand people walked along it in a day. The speed of movement on the bridge is limited and amounts to 72 km / h, since the dividing strip made of plastic posts is not able to keep the car from entering the oncoming lane. This leads to serious accidents. Bridge tolls are charged one way only. You can travel from San Francisco across the bridge for free.

Unfortunately, the Golden Gate Bridge is notorious for its high number of suicides. On average, 2 people per month are dumped from it. At a 75-meter distance from the water, a person hits its surface at a speed of about 100 km / h, which is fatal. Only one person managed not to receive serious injuries after jumping from the bridge, and in total there were 26 survivors in the entire history of the bridge.

San Francisco is a city of freedom. In the 60s, he was chosen by hippies, who spent the famous "Summer of Love" in the city. And later it became the birthplace of the rainbow flag. According to some data, about 15% of the population in the city belongs to sexual minorities. This is not the case in any other city in the United States. In San Francisco, homosexuals are much more tolerant than in the provinces.

In the Bay of San Francisco is Alcatraz Island, which houses one of the most famous prisons in the world. It has now been turned into a museum. The fort on the island was built during the Gold Rush to protect the city.

The first prison on Alcatraz was a military one. The attitude towards the prisoners was rather mild. During the day, they were not in their cells, but worked, helping with the household chores of the inhabitants of the island, and even watched over the children. The prisoners even had their own baseball team, but things changed when the federal prison replaced the military. They were not sent to Alcatraz by court order. There were convicts who regularly violated prison rules or tried to escape. Escape from Alcatraz was considered impossible. The conditions of detention were very strict, and the cold waters of the San Francisco Bay rustled around the island. However, it is possible that one successful escape did take place. In 1962, the Anglin brothers and Frank Morris tried to escape from prison. The escape was successful. The official version says that the fugitives failed to cross the bay. But their bodies were not found. In Legend Busters, it was shown that the escape could well have been a success. Based on this story, the movie "Escape from Alcatraz" was made. Another famous prisoner of the prison was Al Capone.

These are just a few facts about the interesting and unusual city of San Francisco. There is no other such thing in the United States. And, probably, in order to understand America, you definitely need to include this city in your trip.