Welcome to our exploration of yet another
charming micro state. Following our profiles on the Vatican, Fiume,
and Andorra, we turn our attention to what is arguably the oldest living Republic in
the World: the Republic of San Marino. Getting there
Before we dive into this delightful Republic, we have to get there. Let’s pretend we are flying in. The closest international airport is in Italy
of course, in the city of Rimini: this is Federico Fellini Airport, named after the
influential film director, famous for introducing a surrealist and magical realist filter into
the typical social commentary of post-World War 2 Italian cinema. Some his masterpieces include ‘La Dolce
Vita’, ‘Eight and a half’ and ‘The Nights of Cabiria’
After you have impressed your travel companions with these cinematic facts, it’s a short,
15-kilometer drive to San Marino. Let’s make our triumphant entry into San
Marino, an independent Republic entirely embedded within Italy, bordering the administrative
regions of Emilia-Romagna and Marche. The landscape of San Marino is dominated by
Mount Titano, 739 metres in height. The Titano overlooks a national territory
of 61.19 square kilometres, ranking San Marino as the fifth smallest country in the World. The climate of San Marino is predictably Mediterranean:
summers are warm and sunny, while winters are mostly mild, with frequent snowfall above
the 500-meter mark. The terrain is mainly rugged and mountainous,
meaning only 17% of land is arable. The population is just below 33,000, which
also makes San Marino the fifth-smallest country by population demographics, too. And for another fifth ranking: life expectancy! At an average of 83.5 years, San Marino citizens
can boast top marks in the longevity category, trailing only Monaco, Japan, Singapore and
Macau. Much like its larger surrounding neighbour,
San Marino’s aging population suffers from a slow but steady decline: the estimated death
rate in 2020 is 9 out 1000 inhabitants, which is not quite offset by the birth rate of just
8.8 per 1000. And if that wasn’t enough, the migration
rate is 6.6 per 1000. This migration may be a consequence of San
Marino’s unemployment rate of 27.4 percent. The economy has been slowly declining since
2008, suffering from the general economic downturn and a decline in Italian export demands. Nonetheless, San Marino’s economy is, in
general, fairly developed. It relies heavily on tourism, banking, and
the manufacture and export of a few chief goods: primarily ceramics, clothing, fabrics,
spirits, and wine. The GDP per capita is $59,000, the 20th highest
in the world. That’s just $800 short of the United States. As is the case with many micro-states, the
economy benefits from foreign investment due to its relatively low corporate taxes. The income tax rate is also very low -- about
one-third the average EU level. I expect you and your companions are pleasantly
exhausted from this cavalcade of fun facts, so how about you catch your breath with some
sweet mountain air and local cuisine? I would suggest you start with a street food
typical of the wider region surrounding the Republic: that is ‘piadina’, a form of
simple flatbread made with water, flour, salt, and baking soda. Sometimes, lard or olive oil are added to
the mix. The dough is then flattened and cooked two
minutes per side on a hot surface. These piadinas are then stuffed with creamy
cheese, rocket salad and cold meats such as Parma ham and mortadella – which US friends
may know as ‘Bologna’. When in San Marino, avoid pizza if you can
– pasta is a better bet, especially if it is the freshly made kind with an egg base. Personally, my favourite types have names
that end with ‘-elle’ [Caption: Tagliatelle and Pappardelle]
… and local tradition demands these are served with ‘ragú’, a meat-based sauce
which we non-Italians sometimes call ‘Bolognaise’. If you have a sweet tooth, you can buy the
two signature cakes, ‘Tre Monti’ and the ‘Titano’ cake, pretty much everywhere. Tre Monti, or ‘The Three Mountains’ is
essentially a giant, round wafer biscuit stuffed with a chocolate and hazelnut filling, while
Titano alternates layers of almonds, honey and peanuts with chocolate. The Three Towers
Now that you’re fueled up, I expect you’re ready for round two: the visit to the three
towers that have stood watch over the freedom and independence of San Marino for centuries. You can start the walk from Domus Plebis Square,
leaving behind the Neoclassical Basilica – or cathedral – of Saint Marino. (More on him later.) Now you can walk uphill toward the largest
and most visible of the towers, Torre Guaita, quite literally ‘The Watch Tower’. You may take some quick detours to visit some
small but charming museums: first, the Museum of Vampires and Werevolves. Which begs the questions:
What? And also
Why? An Icelandic visitor on Tripadvisor commented
of this attraction: “When you’re on holiday, it’s important
to visit fun places like this, the “stakes” are quite high. We really enjoyed this museum, you might say
it was love at first “bite”. If you’re into vampires, werewolves and
horror legends in general, you can “count” on having a good time here. It might even drive you batty. Fangs very much!” Then, you have the Museum of Curiosities,
which advertises itself as “A collection of objects which are not only
incredible, but often, quite unique …” My favourite piece has to be a pair of authentic
sandals worn by a prostitute in ancient Greece. The undersoles are engraved so that every
step would leave a footprint with the message “Follow me”. Finally, after much panting and sweating,
you and your companion have made it to the top, the apex, the climax, where the Tower
stands erect in all its majesty. Originally built in the 11th century, the
Tower evolved into today’s castle in 1463, when it was enlarged and fortified when San
Marino was at war with the nearby city of Rimini. From the ‘Guaita,’ the walk continues
on the ‘Passage of the Witches’ – clearly San Marino likes their spooky characters – a
steep path and staircase that leads to the 2nd tower, the ‘Cesta’
[Note: Italian pronunciations are in play. ‘Cesta’ sounds like ‘chesta’]
This was used as a main barracks and lodging quarters for the garrison of the castles. Today, it hosts a museum of weapons and suits
of armour. The ‘Cesta’ is connected via a long wall
with the 3rd tower, ‘Montale’, a small pentagonal stronghold. It’s the smallest of the three, but it could
also have been the most important -- because it was the farthest away from the city centre,
it served as an early warning system against invasions. Guarding Independence
It’s now time to walk downhill, back to Liberty Square, where we can have a rest in
front of the Palace of the Government. This is the central hub where all major institutions
of the Republic reside. Built from 1884 to 1894, it mimics the late
medieval architectural style. The revival of this style was a common occurrence
in Europe at that time, and the San Marinese may have wanted to reference the golden age
of Italian City-States, from the 12th to the 15th Century. For our architectural buffs out there, I will
also mention that the Palace was renovated in 1996 by Italian architect Gae Aulenti,
famous for designing the Musee d’Orsay in Paris and the Asian Art Museum of San Francisco. It’s also a great place for a quick overview
of San Marino’s unique history! According to legend, the Republic was founded
by a Christian stonemason from Dalmatia called Marino. In 257 AD, Marino reached Rimini, where he
worked for a time, until he had to flee because of Emperor Diocletian’s persecution of Christians. In his flight, he hid, and eventually settled,
on Mount Titano. The legend goes that he had the power, or
simply the skill, to heal the sick. Back in those days, the Titano was private
property, owned by a Lady Felicita. When Marino healed her ill son, Felicita rewarded
him with the whole mountain. Over time, Marino became the leader of a Christian
community who sought refuge from the heel of the Emperor. When Marino died in the year 301, his last
words to his acolytes were “I leave you free from both men”
These two men are believed to be the Emperor and the Pope of the early Christians. With such a blessing, Marino was encouraging
his community to declare themselves independent from both powers. The first document – beyond legend and myth
– that speaks of San Marino is a piece of parchment dating from the year 885, related
to a legal dispute on the ownership of some plots of land. The document states that the land is rightfully
owned by the abbot of a monastery in San Marino. It was only in the late Medieval period when
the dwelling on Mount Titano began to self-identify as an independent political entity, a ‘comune’
or Italian city-state. The ‘comune’ was self-governed by the
‘Arengo’, an assembly of the heads of the most notable families, overseen by a ‘Rector’. As the population grew, the Rector was joined
by a ‘Captain Defender’ in 1243. These two rulers were also known as the Two
Consuls, a phrase reminiscent of the ancient Roman Republic. Their titles were later changed to ‘Captain
Regents,’ and they were term-limited to six months of co-rule. Even today, the Heads of State are called
‘Captain Regents’ and are elected every six months. Some of the Italian ‘Comuni’ were expansionists,
either via the power of their navies – like Pisa or Venice – or their banks – like
Florence. Many more suffered from a lack of unity and
became the plaything of their neighbours, or of European invaders to the north. By and large, though, San Marino remained
independent, even throughout perilous times. Maybe no one noticed them? San Marino was invaded only twice: the first
time in 1503, by the real-life Jaime Lannister, Cesare Borgia. The occupation ended when, in a strategic
master stroke, Cesare died. Which was good, because there was absolutely
no way the San Marinese could have freed themselves from that guy otherwise. The second occupation came in 1739: at the
time San Marino was surrounded by, and under the protection of, the Papal States. All that changed when Cardinal Giulio Alberoni
came along, invading the area and assuming command under the name Pope Benedict XIV. The people of San Marino started a campaign
of civil disobedience, which reverberated throughout many European courts, who were
sympathetic to the cause of the ‘little guy’. Eventually, Benedict relinquished control
of San Marino a few months later, on February 5, 1740, and everything went back to normal. The next potential invader was the steam roller
from Corsica, Napoleon. But if you watched our episode on Andorra,
you know that Bonaparte had a soft spot for micro-states: in 1797 the General made a formal
signal of friendship to San Marino, sending gifts and even offering to extend its borders
east to the Adriatic Sea. It was a fantastic present… that the Captain
Regents declined to accept. In 1849, the city-state dodged another bullet,
this time made in Vienna. In 1848 and 1849, Romans had kicked out pope
Pius IX and installed a Republic, defended by legendary General Garibaldi against the
armies of France, Austria and local reactionaries. Against an alliance like that though, the
Roman Republic was inevitably overrun, and Garibaldi fled with his volunteers. On July 31st, they found sanctuary in San
Marino. When the Austrians demanded entry to San Marino
in pursuit of Garibaldi, the authorities managed to stall them long enough with a lengthy negotiation
for access, allowing Garibaldi and friends to escape safely at night, and thus preventing
another invasion. In 1861, Italy was united as a country under
King Victor Emmanuel II, who never expressed the intention to annex San Marino. His only involvement with San Marino was the
request for a joint Convention aimed at establishing “good neighbourhood,” as well as some
assurances of military protection. This treaty, signed in 1862, was the first
time in which the Republic of San Marino was recognised as a sovereign State. Well … sort of. On May the 7th, 1861, San Marino had already
been recognised by another tiny republic, all the way across the Atlantic Ocean: The
United States. The Captains Regent of San Marino, on March
29, 1861 sent a letter to President Abraham Lincoln offering honorary citizenship. On May 7, 1861, Lincoln accepted the offer,
replying “Although your dominion is small, your State
is nevertheless one of the most honoured, in all history.” With his reply, Lincoln had formally acknowledged
San Marino as a sovereign state one year earlier than Victor Emmanuel! Dark Times on Mount Titano
Due to its geographic location, San Marino was bound
to experience the same 20th century turmoil as its Italian ‘protector.’ So when Fascism took over the peninsula, it
had similar effects in the small republic. In early 1920, many Italian, left-wing dissidents
sought refuge in San Marino, either from the Government – not yet Fascist at this stage
– or from the violence of the Blackshirts. In September 1920, the local communists grew
in number and power, even attempting to set up a Soviet within the tiny republic. The events in San Marino mirrored those taking
place in Italy at that time: growing unemployment, social unrest, and dissatisfaction amongst
workers left the middle and upper classes concerned that Communism may take hold. To those concerned, Fascist militias seemed
like the perfect antidote. On May 11, 1921, it looked as though the fears
of Communist violence were justified, when a filo-fascist doctor was assassinated on
Mount Titano. This triggered the ire of Italian Fascist
leader Italo Balbo, who would later become the head of Mussolini’s Air Force. He took the occasion to launch a raid on the
Republic … but no violence took place. Based on what happened next, this looked like
a ploy to simply scare the Captain Regents into adopting authoritarian measures to prevent
further riots. A limitation in civil liberties ushered in
the next phase: in August of 1922, the Fascist Party of San Marino was founded. Two months later, two Fascist Captain Regents
were elected into power. Now check that date: October 1, 1922. Mussolini was appointed Prime Minister of
Italy exactly four weeks later, on October 29. This means that San Marino holds the record
for being the first country in history to fall under Fascist rule. The republic remained under Fascist rule for
the next 22 years, although San Marino stayed neutral during WWII. During this period, the local Party was expected
to fall in line with the diktats from Rome and Berlin. But, as usual, the San Marinese were able
to maintain a certain degree of independence. For example, they resisted adopting racial
laws until 1942; both before and after that date, San Marino was able to shelter many
Jewish refugees from Italy and Germany. In November 1939, the very first refugees
arrived: two German women, mother and daughter, who had fled after Kristal Nacht. They were followed by more refugees, mainly
Italian couples of mixed Catholic and Jewish religion. Since 1938, mixed couples were free to marry
in the churches of San Marino. After September 1943, the German occupation
force in Northern Italy kept a close eye on San Marino. On October 25th, the San Marinese even welcomed
a visit from Field Marshal Erwing Rommel! Officially, it was just a tourist trip for
him, but the authorities utilized it as an occasion to emphasize San Marino’s neutrality
with the Germans. With the Wehrmacht kept ever-so-diplomatically
at bay, the Republic would not stop offering sanctuary. As the Allies began bombing the cities on
the Adriatic coast, the Government opened their doors to the evacuees, allowing for
more Jews to find safety, unnoticed among the other refugees. A key figure was one Ezio Balducci, who for
a period was sole ruler, replacing the two Captains. Balducci maintained a good relationship with
the Germans, while hiding Jews under their noses. When questioned by military authorities in
November 1943, he firmly denied the presence of Jews in San Marino. The Germans were convinced, and in more than
one occasion Ezio was able to prevent the SS and the Fascist Brigades from entering
his country. Of Colourful Soldiers and Sketchy Bread
As I finish my historical narrative, you and your companion may notice some stirring of
uniforms in front of the Palace of the Government. It is the change of the Guard, a ceremony
beloved by tourists and locals alike. And a good time to introduce the military
of San Marino. The Republic of San Marino is historically
a neutral Country, with its defence duties delegated to Italy. Still, it does have a military, mainly with
ceremonial and police duties. First, there are the dapper ones, the ‘Guardia
di Rocca’, or ‘The Fortress Watch’. Their uniform would not be out of place at
a Beatles concert -- these guys wear a green double-breasted tunic, adorned with red and
white strings and golden epaulettes. Their trousers are red with a single green
vertical stripe. Everything is topped by a leather helmet,
sporting red and white ostrich feathers. Where do I sign up for that? The Fortress Watch includes an artillery contingent
… although their role is solely to shoot blanks on special occasions. The Fortress Watch works alongside the Uniformed
Company of Militias, which are mainly ceremonial and include the military brass band. There is also a more specialised corps, once
known as ‘The Noble Guard’, which is essentially a company of bodyguards that protect the Captains
Regent and the other members of the executive office. As specialised as they may be, those guys
will never match the multi-coloured awesomeness of the elite Corps of Crossbowmen. These 70 soldiers keep alive the tradition
of a unit first formed in 1295. Clad in brightly coloured medieval costumes,
these accurate shooters of lethal quarrels show up at local festivals, usually preceded
by marching bands of pipe-and-drum players and flag wavers. The authorities of San Marino naturally realise
that not all crimes are committed in the context of a Renaissance fair. That is why they also field two regular police
forces, the Gendarmerie and the Civil Police: they wear standard uniforms and use boring
modern-day equipment, like cars, handcuffs and radios, I guess. But how much action do these cops see? Well, violent crime is virtually non-existent. So is visible property crime, which is mainly
limited to minor theft. But that does not mean that an invisible kind
of crime is ever present; the San Marino security forces often collaborate with Italian police
forces to crack down on white collar crime and banking malpractice. In an investigation spanning five years, from
2009 to 2014, San Marino and Italian Tax police uncovered a massive tax evasion ring involving
almost 59 thousand individuals who had moved their assets to and from San Marino. When the news broke in August 2015, the tax
police managed to incriminate 1050 of these tax dodgers, who collectively had failed to
pay more than one billion Euros to the Italian revenue services. Halfway through the probe, and probably because
of this scandal, the government of San Marino was pressured by the International Monetary
Fund to introduce more rigid controls in its banking system, to avoid future system abuse. However, dishonest firms have still taken
advantage of legal grey areas: in September 2014, two companies operating in Italy, but
registered in San Marino, were able to avoid paying taxes to both countries. The ever-watchful tax police cracked down
on them, seizing 23 million Euros worth of unpaid taxes. This past decade, San Marino also had to contend
with another much more dangerous kind of felony: organised crime. I am oversimplifying an elaborate, complex
story here, but here are the basics: In the late 2000s, a gentleman named Francesco
Vallefuoco became an associate of Fincapital, a local investment banking firm. This guy was no ordinary investor -- he was
a boss of the Camorra, the equivalent of the Mafia for Naples and the surrounding region. Vallefuoco used Fincapital money to fund a
thriving building business, racking up contracts from local political authorities in and around
San Marino. At one point, Vallefuoco was managing 52 building
sites at the same time. All this activity was procured through Fincapital’s
director, alleged to be quite cozy with local politicians. The two partners in crime concocted another
simple scheme: they set up a bakery. Innocent enough, right? Except that in 2009, their bakery won a commission
from San Marino to provide bread for all school lunches in the Republic. The Vallefuoco bakery piled up clients, mainly
from local government authorities, in and outside San Marino. A steady supply of low-quality bread, up to
5 tons a month, sold for a hefty profit. But don’t think that crime always pays in
the Italian peninsula. Schools started to file complaints about the
poor quality of the Camorra bread, and all contracts were rescinded. Then, in October 2010, one of Vallefuoco’s
henchmen made a big mistake. This guy was called Frank Sinatra – yes,
no kidding – Francesco Sinatra to be precise, but that’s Frank in Italian! Mr. Sinatra had a side gig lending money to
San Marinese entrepreneurs. When one of them didn’t pay a debt, Sinatra
had him beaten up and threatened at gun point. When the threats extended to his children,
the entrepreneur finally reported ‘Frank’ to the Italian Police. This was the beginning of an inquiry and trial
that ended with the arrest of Vallefuoco in 2013. Another consequence of the whole affair was
that, in July 2011, San Marino established its own anti-Mafia commission, modelled after
the Italian equivalent. As of 2020, San Marino’s anti-Mafia commission
has to face yet another scheme concocted by organised crime: environmental crime. In this case, we find as main characters the
members of the ‘ndrangheta, the crime syndicate from Calabria – the toe of the Italian boot. This group is considered by Europol as a ‘major
threat’ active in Europe, Canada, the US, Colombia and Australia. Members of the syndicate were able to infiltrate
waste collection and disposal businesses in San Marino and the surrounding Emilia-Romagna
region. Their script was simple: win contracts from
public or private clients, collect all sorts of rubbish and waste, and dispose of it. In the cheapest way possible, of course, which
inevitably means in the most illegal and less environmentally friendly way. As of today, that case is still open. We wish San Marino the best. On a lighter note …
It would be unfair to close our trip on such a sour note. So, as you and your companion chill with a
glass of Sangiovese, let me lighten the mood by talking about two activities in which San
Marino has left its mark: sports and music. The Olympic Committee of San Marino is incredibly
active for a micro state -- they have managed to train and send a team to almost every edition
of the Summer Olympics since 1960, and to ten Winter Olympics starting in 1976. The San Marino delegations at the ‘Cold
War’ Olympics of Moscow 1980 and Los Angeles 1984 were particularly numerous, with 14 and
19 athletes taking part, respectively. Out of all of them, two-thirds competed in
some form of bellicose discipline, such as clay pigeon shooting or judo. Perhaps a sign of those tension-riddled times? In any case, the San Marino team performed
exactly as you’d expect from a microstate: they’ve won exactly 0 medals in their Olympic
history. But surely, they deserved gold for ingenuity:
willing to pick a fight with guys their own size, the Olympic Committee in 1985 created
the first ‘Games of European Small States.’ It was a small-scale Olympics taking place
every two years, involving the likes of Andorra, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Luxembourg, Malta,
Cyprus and even not-so-micro states Montenegro and Iceland. San Marino fared far better in these Games,
winning 323 total medals, 62 of which were Gold. Now, you may laugh as much as you like, but
San Marino was able to produce at least one World Champion in a pretty serious sport:
that’s Moto GP racer Manuel Poggiali. Often misidentified as Italian, this San Marinese
speedster secured the World title in the 125 cc category in 2001, aged just 18. He won another World title two years later,
this time in the 250 cc. San Marino is not afraid to go against the
big guys also in a totally different field: that guilty pleasure we love to hate, the
Eurovision Song Contest. Since the first entry in 2008, San Marino
has challenged the most gifted singing voices in Europe ten times, reaching the Grand Final
twice. The last time it was in Tel Aviv 2019, where
singer of Turkish origin Serhat snatched a 19th position with the infectious tune of
‘Say Na Na Na’: But when it comes to music, the hearts of
many San Marinese will swell with pride only at the mention of its most famous son, Little
Tony. He was born Antonio Ciacci in 1941, and at
age 16 he formed his first rock ‘n’ roll band with his brothers. His first role model was Little Richard - hence
his choice of stage name – but he later styled himself as an Italian-speaking Elvis. Little Tony produced an avalanche of hits
in Italy, but he also had some success in Latin America and other European countries. His notoriety in the English-speaking world
is limited, because, you know, they already had one Elvis. But his 1960 ballad ‘Too Good’, recorded
in English, did reach No. 19 in the UK singles chart. And in 1993, Little Tony starred in a Cannes
Jury Prize winner film, ‘Raining Stones’ by Ken Loach. As far as I can remember, that’s something
Elvis could never boast. Little Tony died of lung cancer in 2013. But only two years later, his name would make
headlines again, involved in a minor scandal which I like to call ‘Cakegate’. It all started with a little girl in Gangi,
a village in the province of Palermo, Sicily. All she wanted for her 8th birthday was a
cake decorated with characters from a popular cartoon series about magical talking horses. [Note: click on the link for the following
joke to make sense …] Her parents dutifully sent the order to a
local pastry chef. Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and the gang have
taught us that ‘Friendship is Magic’
But so is the power of typos. We can only imagine the look of shock and
awe when the girl unwrapped the cake, only to find a photographic rendition – in icing
sugar – of Little Tony’s face staring back at her. I believe that is the most useless fact I
have ever covered in my entire career. Before I fire my researcher, allow me to thank
you for your attention in this exploration of San Marino, and let me ask you: what micro-state
would you like to see next?
