SMALL IS BEAUTIFUL

Situated on the slopes of Mount Titano, landlocked between Emilia Romagna and Le Marche, San Marino is Europe’s third smallest independent state, after the Vatican City and the Principality of Monaco, as well as the oldest surviving constitutional republic in the world. According to tradition, San Marino was founded in 301 AD. A Christian stonemason named Marinus emigrated from the Dalmatian island of Rab, in modern-day Croatia, in 257 AD when Emperor Diocletian issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of Rimini, which had been destroyed by Liburnian pirates. After being persecuted for his religious beliefs, Marinus took refuge on Mount Titano where he established an independent monastic community which went on to become the sovereign state of San Marino. Quite astoundingly, after some 1,700 years, Saint Marinus’ legacy lives on in this tiny, though still autonomous corner of Italy. A one-of-a-kind historic heritage, coupled with a collection of fabulous panoramic views, make San Marino an essential stop on your exploration of northern Le Marche.

Your chauffeur will meet you at your accommodation and drive you to San Marino. Here your guide will be waiting ready to lead you on a trail through the streets and squares of the city centre, designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008. Three defensive towers rise on Mount Titano’s peaks, looking out to the Adriatic coast and protecting the republic from the attacks by the Malatesta lords of Rimini. These fortifications are the very symbol of San Marino and feature both on the country’s flag and coat of arms. La Rocca, also known as the First Tower, is the oldest and most iconic. It was originally built in the 11th century as a watch post and shelter for the inhabitants of Mount Titano and later served as a state prison until as recently as 1970. The Second Tower, or Cesta, is located on the highest peak of Mount Titano and houses the Museum of Ancient Weapons showcasing a collection of over two thousand historical firearms and melee weapons dating from the Middle Ages to the 19th century. The Third Tower, named Montale, is the smallest of the three, yet from the point of view of defence, it was the most strategic as it enjoys the best position for a look-out post.

Your tour of San Marino begins as you access the centro storico through the medieval gate of Porta San Francesco. From here a leisurely stroll will allow you to discover many of San Marino’s picture postcard landmarks. Highlights include Piazza della Libertà, the heart of the city’s political life, the Neoclassical-style Basilica dedicated to the patron saint Marino and the two Rocca and Cesta towers. The charming palazzi and the medieval aura of San Marino’s narrow winding alleys are among the unforgettable impressions to be savoured in this mini republic.

After some free time for lunch a 30-minute drive will bring you to San Leo, a quaint little town in the province of Rimini where time seems to have come to a standstill. Your first sight of San Leo will strike you for the sheer drama of its location. A jumble of stone houses, three churches, a square and a majestic fortress all rising atop a rocky spur make up what was described by writer Umberto Eco as “Italy’s most beautiful town”. San Leo’s origins date back to the 4th century AD when Saint Leone, who had sailed from Dalmatia to the Adriatic coast together with Saint Marinus, settled on this site and established a hermitage. The town thrived during the Middle Ages when it became the object of dispute between the prestigious Malatesta and Montefeltro families owing to its strategic position overlooking the Marecchia Valley.

Enter San Leo through the only town gate and follow your guide on a tour of its major monuments. Not to be missed are the Pieve of Santa Maria Assunta, the town’s oldest religious building which stands on the site of the cell where Saint Leone used to retreat in prayer, and the austere 12th century cathedral, considered one of the area’s most remarkable examples of Romanesque architecture. But the centrepiece is undoubtedly the fortress, a masterpiece of military engineering designed by Renaissance architect Francesco di Giorgio Martini to protect the borders of the Duchy of Federico da Montefeltro. After coming into the possession of the papal state in 1631, the stronghold was transformed into a prison, sadly famous for the pitiless regime imposed on its detainees and its bleak, damp cells where heretics, freethinkers and patriots were once held behind bars.

In the afternoon your private chauffeur will drive you back to your accommodation.