For me, such miniature states are of course an absolute must to increase the number of countries visited. Thanks to San Marino I have now visited 67 countries and hopefully more will follow soon. But in this huge country, let us first take a closer look at history. So why is San Marion the oldest republic in the world?
After all, this state has been asserting its independence for 1700 years. The whole thing also starts with a legend. For who else but Saint Marinus could be the eponym of San Marino? According to the legend, Marinus fled from the persecution of the Christians to seek refuge on Mount Titano. There he founded the first Christian community together with other believers. Eventually a Roman woman converted to Christianity and gave Marinus the mountain as a gift (what else can you give for convertion?). When Saint Marinus died in 366, his followers founded the Republic of San Marino there. Over the years, San Marino expanded its territory and was able to defend its independence through skilful diplomacy, agriculture and a solid army. Even the Italian wars of independence as well as the fascist period survived San Marino. Now that we have all learnt something about the history of San Marino, let’s talk a little about what to expect in San Marino. Are the borders of this old republic still so well guarded?