San Marino

Within the borders of Italy are two 'independent states'.  You probably have heard of Vatican City, which is 110 acres in size with a population of about 1000, making it the smallest independent country  in the world.   It fits entirely within the Italian capital city of Rome, and is the center of the Catholic Church. It is also home to the biggest church in the world – St. Peter's Basilica, which holds some of the most significant art works of the Renaissance such as The Pieta and the Creation of Adam.

In northeastern Italy there is another independent state called, "San Marino".  At 24 square miles in size and with a population of 33,562 it is the 5th smallest country in the world.  Just so you know, after the smallest, Vatican City, comes Monaco, then Nauru which is an island nation off the coast of Australia.  Next is Tavalu, another island near Australia and then San Marino.

Since we had never been there and it was on the way to Venice we decided to spend the night there. Its mountain location is pretty spectacular.

To be honest I didn't take this photo. 

 When we were there it looked like this from the castle walls. No spectacular views for us on this day. 

Exploring these walls on a chilly morning was a invigorating work out.  The walls were first built in the year 1253, more than 200 years before Columbus's journey to the new land.  700 years before I was born!

San Marino claims to be the oldest surviving sovereign state in the world, and is also one of the wealthiest in terms of GDP per capita with one of the lowest unemployment rates in the world. 

Back in the 19th century when the city states of the area were uniting to form Italy, San Marino served as a refuge for many people persecuted because of their support for unification. In recognition of this support, Giuseppe Garibaldi accepted the wish of San Marino not to be incorporated into the new Italian state.  They speak Italian and use the Euro but they are not a part of Italy...or the European Union.  

We enjoyed our time there.  Friendly people, good food and castles!  Another great day on the Italian pensinula!