SCENES FROM SAN MARINO
A Tiny Speck on the Map Worthy of Monumental Praise
Growing up in the island of Cebu, my favorite foreign stamps from my ever-increasing prized collection were from Andorra, Liechtenstein, the Vatican, Monaco, and
San Marino—simply because of their eyecatching mega-sized seals, which came in a variety of unconventional shapes and styles, designs and dimensions.
Due to the sweet innocence of youth, accentuated by a child’s quick propensity to judge blindly, I had this strong belief that the largest prints were from none other than utopian nations with towering timbers, piercing peaks, productive farms, soaring skyscrapers, enterprising industries with big businesses, and undefeatable defense forces.
However, as the years passed by, my thirst for knowledge increased. And with the aid of encyclopedias—the Wikipedia of yesteryears—supplemented by scrutinizing library-grade globes with the correct axis tilt to boot, I soon verified my cherished stamps were from microscopic specks on the maps. They were among the smallest countries in the world!
Due to this childhood discovery, I have since incorporated visits to these tiny—yet as important as any other—states to my ever-expanding bucket list.
My past life involved the active promotion of our islands to initially wouldbe tourists, then some possible repeat guests, and lastly, eventual investors. Though I was a temporary resident of London— with Europe as an area of jurisdiction—I had limited reach to other destinations, as we continuously limited our visits to city capitals and other major hubs.
During a recent Mediterranean and Adriatic Cruise on board the Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas, we docked by the port of Ravenna, Italy. A city I have visited before, it brings about fond memories of excellently preserved mosaics and architecturally admired churches and buildings from the early Christian and Byzantine eras for it was, after all, the capital of the Western Roman Empire.
But the minute we learned we were only 80 kilometers away from San Marino—with apologies to Ravenna—we immediately headed to the 62-square-kilometer independent realm. For surely, it was a most certain now-or-never decision.
A FLOURISH OF URBAN DESIGN AND ARCHITECTURE
According to local folklore, San Marino, founded by a Christian named Marinus of Rab in 301 AD, makes it the world’s oldest state.
Situated within Italy in Southern Europe—specifically between the EmiliaRomagna and Le Marche borders—this landlocked enclave in the Apennine Mountain Range possesses hilly topography, with steep and craggy exteriors, coupled with spikes and crevices, and with no flat grounds, the perfect refuge for victims who escaped from religious persecution.
We were alerted—more so like warned— by our young postgraduate tour guide-cumdriver of our full day extensive walking tour, as he laboriously searched for the evasive free parking space close to the sturdy gate, leading to the fortifications. We initially drove around in small circles, and at times wider circumferences, bringing to our attention towering mountains and rolling hills, verdant valleys, and vast landscapes, castles and palaces, and even a cable car—all punctuated by three domineering towers.
Our on-foot exploration started at the Porta Della Frata, where we walked on seemingly certified pedestrian roads— vehicles were few and seldom crossed our paths—with never-seem-to-end ledges, flanked by basilicas, cathedrals, and churches from different periods, ancient storied office buildings, solid stone homes some covered with crawling vines and flowers in pots just below the upper windows, distinct commemorative memorials of admirable heroic deeds, rustic yet functional water fountains, restful parks, sculptured pieces that struck artists’ fancies, all surrounded by lush greens and colorful blooms.
We limbered on to the pulse of the nation—the Piazza Della Libreta, the city square where interestingly enough, we spotted their own version of the iconic Statue of Liberty lording over the New
York Harbor.
Standing proudly was the Palazzo del Governo, also known as Palazzo Publico, the most important government office building, erected by Italian architect
Francesco Azzurri between 1884 to 1894. It is the seat of the Republic that accommodates the main administrative bodies and is the venue where state ceremonies take place.
Split into three sections, it boasts of a tall clock tower which has become a permanent fixture in their local skyline.
Open to the public in 1894, it was way ahead of similar institutions such as the Buckingham Palace in London and the
White House in Washington DC, in terms of opening their doors to the people they serve.
Their not-so-usual election process is not to be reckoned with. The Parliamentary Council of 60 members chooses two Captain-Regents to be the Heads of State, with each term only good for six months each. At the end of their service, any dissatisfied citizen only has three days to file their complaints!
Though we presume the country has among the smallest armed forces in the world, they still observe and conduct with pride the ceremonial Changing of the
Guards, each half past every hour, decked in their fashionable orange bottoms and green tops.
Nearby, we caught a glimpse of a number of crossbowmen from another branch of the armed forces which competes and successfully gains honor in global tournaments.