San Marino — books & literature

The story of San Marino

By tradition, San Marino was founded on 3 September 301 CE by Marinus, a Christian stonemason from the Dalmatian island of Rab who fled religious persecution and built a small chapel and community on the slopes of Monte Titano. The settlement grew into a self-governing commune, and by the 13th century it had its own elected magistrates, the Captains Regent, a system that survives almost unchanged today. Remarkably, San Marino held onto its independence through the Renaissance, the Napoleonic wars (Napoleon himself recognised its sovereignty in 1797), the unification of Italy in the 19th century, and Mussolini's fascist state in the 20th. It declared neutrality in both World Wars, though it was bombed and briefly occupied by German forces in 1944. From 1945 to 1957 it was governed by the world's first freely elected communist-led coalition. San Marino joined the United Nations in 1992 and today calls itself the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic on Earth , a tiny, mountain-top nation entirely surrounded by Italy.

Timeline — key moments

1. 301

   Traditional founding date: Marinus establishes a Christian community on Monte Titano.

2. 885

   The Placito Feretrano, the first written document referencing the Sammarinese community.

3. 1243

   The first two Captains Regent are elected as joint heads of state.

4. 1463

   San Marino gains the castles and towns of Fiorentino, Montegiardino and Serravalle from Pope Pius II.

5. 1797

   Napoleon personally guarantees San Marino's independence and declines to annex or expand it.

6. 1815

   The Congress of Vienna ratifies San Marino's sovereignty.

7. 1944

   Despite declared neutrality, San Marino is bombed by the Allies and occupied by German forces during WWII.

8. 1945-1957

   San Marino elects the world's first freely-elected communist-led government.

9. 1992

   San Marino joins the United Nations.

Top 10 things to know about San Marino

1. San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state and constitutional republic in the world.
2. It is completely landlocked and entirely surrounded by Italy , one of only a few such enclave nations.
3. The country is co-headed by two Captains Regent, elected every six months, a tradition dating to 1243.
4. Italian is San Marino's official language.
5. Its currency is the euro, and it is permitted to mint its own euro coin designs.
6. From 1945 to 1957 it had the first freely-elected communist-led government in the world.
7. Monte Titano and San Marino's historic centre are a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
8. It is one of the smallest countries on Earth by both area (about 61 sq km) and population.
9. San Marino declared neutrality in both World Wars but was bombed and occupied in 1944.
10. In 1993, San Marino's Davide Gualtieri scored a goal 8.3 seconds into a World Cup qualifier against England , one of the fastest goals in international football history.

Famous people from San Marino

Say it in San Marino's language

Did you know?

• ★San Marino has no large standing army , defence rests with small ceremonial militia corps, including a historic crossbow guard.
• ★San Marino is regularly cited as having one of the highest rates of car ownership per person in the world.
• ★The republic's Torta Tre Monti ("Three Mountains Cake"), a layered chocolate wafer cake named for Monte Titano's three peaks, is a beloved national dessert exported across Italy.

San Marino culture

• Italian is spoken everywhere, though a local Romagnol dialect known as Sammarinese survives in some communities.
• Monte Titano's medieval city, crowned by the three towers Guaita, Cesta and Montale, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• Crossbow (balestra) competitions and medieval-costume parades, especially the Palio delle Balestre, celebrate the old militia heritage.
• Cuisine is Mediterranean and closely tied to neighbouring Romagna: piadina flatbread, fresh pasta, and cakes like Torta Titano and Torta Tre Monti.

Why read San Marino's books

San Marino's tiny population has produced a modest literary output, but centuries of visitors, chroniclers and historians have written about the world's oldest republic , the shelf below gathers what tells its story best.