Fun things to do in San Marino

Early inhabitants of San Marino constructed three fortresses known as the Three Towers of San Marino on each of the three summits of Monte Titano.

The Fortress of Guaita was constructed in the tenth century on the second-tallest summit, also called Guaita. It is the oldest of the three towers and is therfore one of the oldest ancient fortifications on the Italian peninsula. The fortress originally served as a watch tower and a refuge for the local inhabitants during seiges. Over the centuries, the fortress was reinforced many times. It took on its present appearance in the second half of the fifteenth century, and its gabled roof was added during the sixteenth century. After having been the seat of various military institutions, some of its cells were used as a prison from the late eighteenth century up to 1970.

The dominant geological feature of San Marino is Monte Titano, a limestone outlier of the Apennine Mountains with three summits, the highest of which is 2,457 feet (749 meters) in elevation. The three peaks are called Guaita, Cesta, and Montale. Legend has it that Saint Marinus founded San Marino upon these peaks. Early inhabitants built protective ramparts around the settlement that would become the capital city of San Marino. The streets in the capital are cobbled and crooked due to the steep terrain.

The three peaks of Monte Titano are topped by the Three Towers of San Marino, which are iconic symbols of the tiny country. They are featured on the country's flag and coat of arms. San Marino is even famous for a cake called La Torta di Tre Monti, the Cake of the Three Peaks. It is a layered cake covered in chocolate.

The view from Monte Titano takes in the entire country of San Marino, and encompasses the cliffs of the mountain, the villages of Serravalle and Falciano, the cultivated Italian countryside, and the Adriatic Sea on the horizon. The scenic overlook is next to the Piazza della Libertà, and is about 2,001 feet (610 meters) above the fields and villages below.

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The best part of San Marino for me was the views and the fortress walls
There are museums to see although i didnt go in any
It was just nice to walk around the whole of the old town and look at the scenary and also the small winding streets

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Want some stamps that will only get your postcard 2 miles away? Yes, the San Marino Post Office will see you stamps that only work INSIDE this micro-nation. Mostly they are for collectors. They also see postage for air mail so you can send friends, family and other VT members some great cards from this beautiful mountain country.

They are open:
8:15-16:45 Monday - Friday
8:15-11:45 Saturday

December 31st

From 10 pm onwards in Piazza Sant’Agata and Piazzale Lo Stradone
On New Year’s Eve, a great open-air party to welcome in the New Year, in Piazza Sant’Agata starting at 10 pm, with music, traditional dishes, midnight toast and a fantastic fireworks display to welcome the New Year.

December - Early January

San Marino, city centre
“Christmas Full of Wonders” is an opportunity to invite holidaymakers to San Marino in an atmosphere completely different to that of the summer, lesser known perhaps, but not because of this any less fascinating and exciting.
Every year, from the Advent to the Epiphany, the great Christmas tradition is celebrated in San Marino in the magic atmosphere of the old-city centre, with the quaint quarters lit up with lights and enhanced with decorations.
A packed calendar of events for December: the traditional Christmas Market with lots of gift ideas and inviting proposals, from objets d’art to crafts right up to gastronomy and animated games for adults and children alike.
And to live the real spirit of Christmas, there will be Christmas concerts, Gospel singing in the Teatro Titano, on 26 December, and the by now traditional New Year’s Concert, always in the Teatro Titano with the San Marino Military Band.
On New Year’s Eve, a great open-air party to welcome in the New Year, in Piazza Sant’Agata starting at 10 pm, with traditional dishes, midnight toast and a fantastic fireworks display.
San Marino also provides the chance to stay in the world’s oldest Republic at bargain prices, with holiday and wine and food packages, great menus and theme delights .

1st October - 1st April of each year

The Heads of State are installed in office every six months during the course of a traditional ceremony staged according to a centuries-old protocol.
San Marino celebrates the installation of the two Heads of State who will guide the Republic for the following six months. Part of the ceremony is the procession of dignitaries that winds its way through the old-town centre in traditional costume.

Guests and holidaymakers visiting the Republic of San Marino should not miss witnessing what is one of the country’s most traditional events – on 1 October and 1 April of every year, the Installation Ceremony takes place of Their Excellencies the Captains Regent, the Heads of State, who remain in office for six months.
To be appointed Captain Regent, candidates must be San Marino nationals and be over 25 years of age. They cannot be re-elected until three years have passed from their last appointment.
The Ceremony is truly suggestive and an attraction for the population, which is happy to pay tribute to the Supreme Magistrature, and for tourists, who find this centuries-old tradition, which dates back to the Middle-Ages, very appealing.

Ceremonial rules prescribe that at 9.45 am on 1 April (or 1 October), the flag-raising ceremony be performed in Piazza della Libertà, by the Guard of Honour of the Great and General Council, the Militia and the Military Band.
Between 10 am and 1 pm, the Captains Regent, the Authorities and the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, escorted by the Military Corps, parade along the narrow streets of the Old-Town Centre and, after the ceremony staged at Palazzo Valloni and in the Basilica del Santo, meet again in the Government Building, where the solemn exchange of powers takes place between the Captains Regent who have just terminated their mission and the new Captains Regent, who are about to guide the Republic for six months.

A very important figure of this Ceremony is Official Speaker, an illustrious personage, called upon to make the official speech relating to major problems or issues of international importance.
The Regency Institution is the foremost expression of the State and democracy, as attested by a centuries-old history.

The statue of Bartolomeo Borghese can be found next to the upper cable car station of the aerial tramway.

Having weakened his eyesight by the study of documents of the middle ages, he turned his attention to numismatics. Borghesi retired to San Marino, where he died in April 1860.

The statue was made by Romagnoli and inaugurated in 1904.