San Marino

When my friend Susana and I decided to go to Bologna, we immediately started to see what other places we could visit nearby. As soon as we realized that San Marino wasn't that far away, we added this small country to our list of places to visit. 

It was a two-hour journey from Bologna to San Marino, first by train to Rimini and then by bus from Rimini to San Marino. Was it worth it? Yes it was. It would have been worth just for this view but there were more things to see.

 

If you google San Marino, most of the images that will appear will be of this tower. There are three towers there but this is the most famous. This is the most famous but they are all very important, so important that they are even on the country's flag and coat of arms.  

The Guaita Tower is the oldest of the three, it was built in the 11th century. To get this view you have to go and climb the second tower, the Cesta. These two towers can be visited, however it is not possible to enter the third, Montale.

FOTW San Marino

Today is Postcrossing 16th anniversary!! 16 years bringing joy into our mailboxes ☺Well, not today. Still no cards in my mailbox this week. I didn't get any cards but I chose and wrote a few and I'm also showing cards to celebrate this date, starting with a surprise.

Before getting this card, I only had 3 cards from San Marino and I never thought I would ever get a written and stamped card from there but here it is. New FOTW and many stamps on the back, most of them Europa from the 80's. Eric really put some extra effort on this card and I do appreciate that. However, I bet he never thought the card it would take 7 months to get it. He mailed it on December 2020, according to the postmarks it was only sent on June 1st and I got it 2 weeks ago. 

Great surprise and addition to my collection. Thank you so much Eric.

www.postcardsmarket.com

San Marino has an area of 61.2 km², a population of 33.285 and its capital is City of San Marino.

Unique: 

* Guaita - Cesta - Montale - the three flowers of San Marino are located on the peeks of Mount Titano and are depicted on the coat of arms;

* The Capitains Regent - are the head of the state elected every six months by the Grand and General Council  the country's parliament.

Famous:

* The Oldest Extant Sovereign State - San Marino claims to be the oldest extant sovereign state as well as the oldest constitutional republic;

* The Historic Center and Mount Titano - are part of the UNESCo World Heritage List.

History:

* 3 September 301 - on that date Saint Marinus founded San Marino where he built a small church;

* 8 October 1600 - Constitution of San Marino - first legal document which mention San Marino's institutional organs.

San Marino

These are my 3 and only cards from San Marino. They were sent by Daniel, Alessandro and Andrzej.

 Of the world's 196 independent countries, San Marino is the fifth smallest and – arguably – the most curious. How it exists at all is something of an enigma. A sole survivor of Italy's once powerful city-state network, this landlocked micronation clung on long after the more powerful kingdoms of Genoa and Venice folded. And still it clings, secure in its status as the world's oldest surviving sovereign state and its oldest republic (since AD 301). San Marino also enjoys one of the planet's highest per capita GDPs.

Measuring 61 sq km, the country is larger than many outsiders imagine, being made up of nine municipalities each hosting its own settlement. The largest 'town' is Dogana, a place 99.9% of the two million annual visitors skip on their way through to the Città di San Marino, the medieval settlement on the slopes of 750m-high Monte Titano that was added to the Unesco World Heritage list in 2008. - in: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/italy/emilia-romagna-and-san-marino/san-marino/introduction

lito87 sas

 San Marino Historic Centre and Mount Titano covers 55 ha, including Mount Titano and the historic centre of the city which dates back to the foundation of the republic as a city-state in the 13th century. San Marino is inscribed as a testimony to the continuity of a free republic since the Middle Ages. The inscribed city centre includes fortification towers, walls, gates and bastions, as well as a neo-classical basilica of the 19th century, 14th and 16th century convents, and the Palazzo Publico of the 19th century, as well as the 18th century Titano Theatre. The property represents an historical centre still inhabited and preserving all its institutional functions. Thanks to its position on top of Mount Titano, it was not affected by the urban transformations that have occurred from the advent of the industrial era to today. - in: http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1245

Ed. International Souvenir

The Basilica of the Saint was designed and built, starting in 1826, by Antonio Serra, an architect from Bologna, on the grounds of the ancient Church of the 5th century, which was demolished to make place for the new Basilica.

A grave loss for the history of art, in fact it has been erased an early Christian monument of pre-Romanesque style.

The Basilica is the main religious building in the Country since it conserves the relics of the Founder of the community of San Marino – St. Marino.

The Basilica, consecrated in 1855, has a neo-classic style with a portico of Corinthian columns. The massive bell tower, originally in Romanic style, was rebuilt in the 1600’s.

Internally, the Basilica has three aisles and seven altars. The throne of the Regents, dating to the 1600’s, is situated to the left of the main altar; under the alter a small urn contains the bones of St. Marino; on the right, a marble monument houses a shrine which contains the top of the Saint’s skull. - in: http://www.sanmarinosite.com/en/things-to-see/monuments/basilica-of-saint/