SAN MARINO
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San Marino is the world’s third-smallest country.
Legend says that the country was founded in 310 by Saint Marinus, a stonemason who escaped Christian persecution from nearby Rimini.
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About 20 km from Sammarinese territory, Rimini is the main gateway to the country.
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Named “Ariminum” by the Romans, the town served as a stronghold on the Adriatic Sea and the starting point of the Via Aemilia - a crucial Roman road.
Though today Rimini is a thriving beach town, the city has some pretty impressive sites to testify to its grandeur past.
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San Marino may be tiny but it’s the only surviving medieval commune in Italy
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Its old town is largely intact, featuring cobblestone alleys, stone houses, and centuries-old churches. Yet there is one site that stood out: Palazzo Pubblico.
Uphill, in the Basilica de San Marino, the relics of Saint Marinus – the protector and founder of the country – are enshrined.
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They are the sacred icons of San Marino and thus could be seen on the national flag.
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Though being called a tower, each of these individual structures is as complex as a fortress, with battlements, solid walls, and even a small barrack.
Of the three towers, the Guaita is the oldest dating back to the 11th century. Followed by Cesta erected by the end of the 11th century.
Montale is the smallest tower constructed by the late 13th century.
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