San Marino- a brief guide and overview.
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What to do and see in San Marino
Where to eat and drink in San Marino
Best day trips from San Marino
The Republic of San Marino is a tiny, landlocked country of about 33,00 people, tracing its origins to the early 4th century. It’s located in a mountainous region in northern Italy on the Adriatic side, bordering the Italian coastal city Rimini. The official language is Italian, the food is heavily Roman, and the euro is used as the currency. Although the micronation is surrounded on all sides by Italy, it is not part of Italy and not even part of the EU. However upon entering you won’t need to go through any border checks or passport control. If you like, you can pay for a passport stamp at the tourism office.
In 301 AD St Marinus, a Christian stonemason avoiding Roman prosecution, fled to the highest point of Mount Titano where he quietly declared his new Republic. From there, a handful of different origins stories emerge. According to one local legend, Marinus was also fleeing an insane woman in Rimini who had declared him her estranged husband. He fled to the mountaintop, built a monastery and chapel, and prepared for life as a hermit. San Marino was never conquered by any other power. If you’re interested in learning more, check out this short video.
What to do and see
Three Towers of San Marino
The three towers of San Marino dominate the skyline and overlook not only the historic capital, but the entirety of the country as well as the touching Italian lands. Even the Adriatic Sea can be seen from here. Be sure to bring water and decent walking shoes. Tickets can be bought at the first tower which is located in town, a few streets above all the restaurants and shops. Entry to just the first tower is 4.50 and entry to the first and second towers is 6.50.
The first tower is called Guaita, also known as La Rocca and Prima Torre. Built in the 11th century, it is the largest of the towers and home to the Chapel of Santa Barbara, Pen tower, Bell tower and a prison turned museum.
The second tower is Cesta, also known as Falesia and De La Fratta. In this tower you’ll find the Museum of Ancient Arms- a fascinating collection of different weapons from around the world. The oldest weapons date back to 500 years ago. Though the first tower is larger, the second tower is the highest. Weather permitting, you can see the Croatian coast on the other side of the Adriatic!
The beautiful path connecting the first and second tower is known as the passage of the witches (Passo delle streghe). As the tale goes, witches met here to practice their rituals and were later hung and thrown off the cliff from here.
The third tower is Montale, or the Terza Torre. This is the only tower visitors are not permitted to enter. It is a lovely 10 minute walk from the second to the third tower so if you’ve made it as far to the second tower then definitely walk out to the third one.
Walk around the town
The historic capital city is beautifully well kept, preserving its medieval roots. The center is composed of steep, criss-crossing pedestrian-only streets, home to a plethora of restaurants, bars and tacky yet quirky gift shops. You’ll be rewarded with views on every turn so enjoy wandering around and getting “lost”- don’t worry the town is so small it really is impossible to actually get lost for more than a minute. Actually, I highly recommend putting away your GoogleMaps as it will only infuriate you as your GPS jumps around from one zigzagging street to the next.
Palazzo Publiccoin Piazza della Liberta is the town hall and official government building of San Marino. It is located in a large open square home to a few restaurants with outdoor dining.
San Marino has two presidential seats and elections are held every six months.
Fun Fact– Although he never left US soil Abraham Lincoln is an honorary citizen of San Marino!
Museums
San Marino has some touristy museums like the Museum of Torture, and Vampire Museum. I didn’t partake in any of these but if you’re looking for something to do with the family this might be a good option. Personally, I’d rather spend my time at a wine bar…
Where to EAT and DRINK in San Marino
The food in San Marino is Roman with a few Sammarinese specialities. In other words, expect communal dishes, plenty of pasta, wild game, in season produce, cheese, and superb olive oils. There is a heavy mountain influence with wild game regularly appearing on menus as well as a strong seafood presence since the Adriatic sea is just an easy hour away. Also, if you find Italy a little pricey then you will love San Marino. Prices are generally a bit cheaper so eating out is much more affordable than most of Italy in my experience.
DRINK
Bar: In & Out
Grab a table before sunset and enjoy affordable cocktails on the stunning terrace. With an atmosphere and view like this, I had expected to pay accordingly. However cocktails were only 6 euros, and wine and beer were also reasonably priced. Go here for pre-dinner drinks. This pop up bar is located near the funicular (funivia).
Bar: Treesessanta
Perfect for post dinner drinks, Treesessanta is also known as the libroteca, alluding to it’s atmosphere which is part wine bar and part bookstore. In addition to wines they offer local craft beers and a small selection of food. Enjoy the fresh air and mountain views out on the terrace or head inside to sip your vino surrounded by books and possibly some live music.
EAT
Osteria La Taverna
Most outdoor dining in San Marino is along tiny, narrow pedestrian streets which, don’t get me wrong, is absolutely charming and another atmosphere in itself. However, it was refreshing to sit out in a truly open air setting in a large plaza where the opposite side of the “street” is effectively the side of the mountain sloping down. Now if you look on GoogleMaps, it would appear that the Osteria and Righi Ristorante are two separate things. Yes and no. They are related, the Osteria is Righi’s more affordable and more casual sister restaurant. Righi is an expensive and Michelin starred restaurant. If you sit outside, you will be in the Osteria La Taverna.
We shared a platter of charcuterie to start and some Valpolicella red wine from Verona. It is a full-medium bodied red, similar in my opinion to Nero d’Avola. The most commonly consumed wine in San Marino is Sangiovese. I enjoy a good Sangiovese now and then, especially with pizza, but I tend to find it too harsh, acidic, and on the lighter-medium side of red wine. I like big full reds with my meals.
Instead of focaccia or other bread, it is more common to eat cheese and meat with piadina. Piadina is similar to a tortilla wrap, naan bread, roti… it is a chewy flatbread. Want to learn to make piadina at home? Try this piadina cooking class or try this piadina recipe at home!
Months later and I am still dreaming of this lasagna. Green spinach lasagna sheets replace the cream colored ones, there is still cheese and a beef ragu sauce. This lasagna just felt like the best hug on a chilly autumn day- never mind that I was there in sweltering August heat. The bolognese was deeply complex with tender bits of meat. The cheese (I think ricotta and mozzarella) was just salty enough, just gooey enough, just stringy yet saucy enough… I think the key to great lasagna is in the proportion of ingredients and how they support each other rather than dominating. It was a rich dish of many flavors but still managed to not be heavy.
This was a daily special when we were there. It was cooked perfectly and the quality was present. It came with some delicious sauteed swiss chard.
Ristorante La Terraza
La Terraza was my favorite meal in San Marino. There is a large private terrace that can only be accessed through the restaurant. The food was simply beautiful and the service was attentive and kind.
This home-made pasta stuffed with fresh ricotta cheese in a cherry tomato and basil sauce was chef’s kiss. Simple, ingredients at the peak of their season, executed perfectly. This was my favorite plate of the meal. Here is what else we ate:
Costolette di agnello scottadito con patate al rosmarino
Lamb ribs with rosemary potatoes.
How to get to San Marino
By car
San Marino is two hours from Bologna, 40 minutes from Rimini, and three hours from Florence. I strongly recommend factoring a car into your San Marino experience. San Marino is a wonderful base for exploring small towns in the surrounding countryside and day tripping to the beach town Rimini.
There is a carpark located up top right in the historic center or you can choose to take the funicular (Funivia) and there are several free and cheap carparks located at the base. I recommend navigating to the Funivia Cafe and parking there.The Funivia is fast, fun and cheap- taking you up or down in just a minute and setting you back just 2.80 euros per trip or 4.50 roundtrip. It runs approximately every 15 minutes.
By train
San Marino is not connected by rail. The closest train station is in Rimini. Take a train to Rimini and from there take a bus that will bring you up to San Marino center in 30 minutes. For more details check out this blog post.
By plane
The closest airport is in Rimini. From there you can take a train to Rimini Station and then get a bus, rent a car, or of course, take a taxi. If you know that bus service is currently running from the airport to San Marino, please let me know in the comments so I can update this!
Where to STAY in San Marino
Even if you have a car, definitely stay in the pedestrian historic center which is situated on the very top of Mount Titano. We stayed in Hotel La Roca and I would without a doubt return. The location was superb, rooms were clean, air conditioning worked well and we had the best view from our little balcony. Apparently the restaurant associated with it is worthwhile though I did not get to sample it.
The historic center has many affordable accommodations and there is no reason to not stay in the center. One of my travel companions stayed elsewhere in San Marino and had a vastly different experience. Outside of the the historic center, San Marino isn’t very charming or walkable for the average tourist.
How long to STAY in San Marino
I recommend two to four days in San Marino. Others might recommend San Marino as a quick 5 hour day trip from another city. If your main priority is to “see” and “check off” as many countries as you can, then by all means, just give San Marino half a day. However, I really think San Marino deserves more- heck, you deserve more! It’s one of those destinations that is far better taken slowly then rushed through. San Marino is romantic and magical. I think it would be an okay day trip but it is a memorable and relaxing getaway if you allow it to be.
Day trips from San Marino
Check out my post here for a detailed guide to the best day trips from San Marino.
Thank you for reading my post on San Marino. Have you been there? Would you like to go? Did I miss something? Please drop a comment below- I’d love to hear your thoughts and recommendations!
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