As a state guidebook explains, the towers were defensive fortifications used to keep a lookout for invaders. They were not “sumptuous abodes in which to cultivate mad dreams of conquest.”
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
San Marino’s souvenir stands have an extensive supply of toy guns.
A Bust of Giuseppe Garibaldi in San Marino’s Historic Center
The hero of Italian unification was granted asylum in San Marino in 1849. Garibaldi rewarded the country for its kindness by allowing it to preserve its independence even as the rest of Italy came together.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
San Marino’s Palace Guard
Like Monaco, San Marino has a recurring changing of the guard ceremony. The Guardia di Rocca, though, seem a lot more laidback than Monaco’s men in uniform.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
Plaque Marking the Territory of San Marino’s Fellowship of Archers
The Sammarinese have a long tradition of defending themselves with the long bow. Today, the country’s archers perform at medieval festivals.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
Cimitero di Montalbo, San Marino’s Historic Cemetery
The crowded graveyard is currently being expanded.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
A broken propeller marks the grave of two Royal Air Force pilots who died in a plane crash in 1943.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
A tiny car on the tiny streets of the tiny municipality of Borgo Maggiore.
Photograph by J. Seidman for CREDIT: Slate.
A Train Tunnel Turned Cycling Path
During World War II, this tunnel and many others like it housed some of the 100,000 refugees who descended on San Marino.
