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It may sound like a place in California, but San Marino is nowhere near the Golden State. Instead, it's an entire independent nation located entirely within the borders of eastern Italy.
San Marino, which is now the least-visited country in Europe, according to the UN World Tourism Organization, is surrounded by lush vineyards and rolling hills, and dotted with cute bed and breakfasts, romantic restaurants, and narrow, winding stone streets.
At the heart of San Marino is an ancient castle village built on top of a mountain. In other words: the place is like Disneyland for adults — or Tuscany without the crowds.
I recently spent a few days in the country billed as the world's oldest democracy, which has also had more female heads of state than any other country in the past 60 years.
Here's what it was like — and why I can't wait to go back.
Entirely inside Italy, San Marino is a pretty special place. For one, it's the world's oldest democracy.
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At under 24 square miles in size, San Marino is one of the smallest countries in the world, and the third-smallest in Europe (ahead of just Monaco and Vatican City), according to the CIA World Factbook. Under 34,000 people live there.
Surrounded entirely by Italy, the history of democracy in San Marino also goes back more than 1,700 years. The country even claims to be the world's oldest continuous democracy, according to the Los Angeles Times. Also on the subject of democracy: according to Glamour, San Marino has had more female heads of state than any other country in the past 60 years, by far.
It also recently became the least-visited country in Europe, "overtaking" Liechtenstein, another micronation.
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Seeing as it's entirely within the Italian Peninsula – and only an extremely small part of it at that — it comes as no surprise that San Marino's landscape is basically the same as Italy's, and Tuscany's in particular. This means it has the same gorgeous terraced hills, rustic vineyards, bucolic farmland, and general made-for-social-media environs.
And yet, San Marino has fewer visitors per year than any other country in Europe. Just 84,000 people are estimated to have visited San Marino in 2018, according to the UN World Tourism Organization. And that's still a nearly 8% rise from the 78,000 who visited in 2017 — and more than double San Marino's entire population.
The entire nation of San Marino had 11 times fewer visitors in all of 2018 than Tuscany's capital of Florence had in the first three months of 2019 (about 947,000, numbers which were even down from the same period in 2018, according to The Florentine).
Its fairytale castles should be enough to lure visitors on their own.
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If San Marino's eye-catching countryside isn't enough, there's also a beautifully preserved, centuries-old castle complex on a hill (the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Monte Titano), where guests can eat (pasta and red wine are popular menu items, naturally), sleep, and even live (if they can afford it). In other words: it's like Disneyland for adults — or at least adults who desire quiet, romantic getaways filled with sublime excitement. You might not get that in Tuscany, where there have been concerns about overtourism for more than a decade, at least.
Its lack of popularity could be down to the fact it isn't the easiest place to get to, as I found out recently.
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Being so small, San Marino does not have an international airport, or any public airport at all — in fact, the closest one of a decent size is in Bologna, more than 80 miles away.
There isn't a port because it doesn't have any coastline, so it's not a place cruise ship visitors can pop into like Venice (though nearby Rimini is a fairly popular seaside resort area). There isn't a train station. And driving... well, to get up to the top of the mountain where San Marino's capital (which has the same name as the country) is, you have to ascend an incredibly windy, narrow road full of hairpin turns and blind corners. It's harrowing no matter the weather and how good the driving conditions, to put it mildly.
First, I had to take a train from Rome to Bologna and then to Rimini, which cost about €70 ($77).
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I'd been staying for several days at the Vatican in Rome, but it was high time to head on to a new adventure — and hopefully get away from what had been a swarm of selfie-snapping tourists everywhere. Fortunately, Italy has a very well-developed train network, so it was easy to book a ticket on the website of national rail company Trenitalia. However, there is no train service to San Marino, so I had to take a series of trains to the closest city, Rimini, located on Italy's eastern coast.
The journey was comfortable, and only took about four hours with a change of trains in Bologna. It was helped, no doubt, by the fact I was able to take a fast train, the Frecciarossa, from Rome to Bologna. Traveling at more than 150 miles per hour for significant stretches, it cut the journey time down significantly — even when we did have to stop unexpectedly for about 20 minutes for unknown reasons that were never announced.
I then took a bus from up the mountain to San Marino, which cost €5 ($6).
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There's about one bus that goes up the mountain (and back down) to San Marino every hour, with a company called Bonelli Bus. Departing from a small bus stop next to a Burger King across the street from the Rimini train station, I was glad I had euros with me — the driver only took cash.
The bus ride itself took about an hour, and — surprisingly — the bus was quite crowded; then again, it was a sunny and warm summer's day. Being such a treacherous drive, I was glad a professional was driving — I didn't want to wind up at the Pearly Gates and have to explain to Saint Peter that I had flown off the side of a mountain trying to go see a castle.
Even from the parking lot, I could tell San Marino was special.
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At first, the view was not too spectacular — until we began ascending the mountain. The higher we climbed, the more impressive the expansive view became; it was like we were ascending into the clouds into a heavenly realm not of this earth.
That feeling continued when we reached the proverbial pinnacle of our path. The parking lot was at the edge of the citadel, below many of its streets, but even from here, you could look out across the rolling hills and vineyards, and simply marvel at the majestic beauty of it all. Even better: there were no other tourists to elbow out of the way to be able to take in such a view.
I already had a hotel to check into, but I got distracted wandering the gorgeous little stone streets.
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Everywhere I turned, there was something new and exciting to see. Even though the bus had been full going up, once I got out, they all seemed to disappear. There wasn't a smartphone or fannypack in sight. It was glorious. The lack of modern technology even made me a bit self-conscious about taking photos of my own.
This was in stark contrast to other "rustic" areas of the Italian Peninsula that have been overrun in the past few years. For example, there are concerns about the sheer number of people traversing the Cinque Terre on Italy's western coast, while Tuscany has had problems of its own. And much ink has been spilled discussing Venice's issues with overtourism.
The younger me would've been bored by the plant-covered facades, but the older me was swooning.
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Flowers hanging out of windows was something I could've cared less about a few years ago. Then again, a few years ago surviving my 20s also seemed rather unlikely, and my favorite breakfast food was Pop-Tarts.
Now, I thought the plant-plastered facades were a nice touch of color amid all the stone. My only worry: beautiful as they were, I assumed keeping them well-watered in the bright sun was a real chore.
There were plenty of statues to be found along San Marino's winding streets ...
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Some of the streets really seemed to have more statues of people that actual people. Not that I was complaining — it seemed every statue I'd seen around Vatican City had rows of people at least three deep around them. Here, you had to take care rounding corners not to literally run into them. Would that be the case in Tuscany? It seemed doubtful, especially in the sunny, warm summer.
... And dramatic views of the countryside below.
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"Spectacular" was a word that described the panoramic views well. Another word also came to mind: "serene."
The last one perhaps fit better. After all, one of San Marino's names technically is the Most Serene Republic of San Marino.
It even had its own Statue of Liberty that's older than America's.
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San Marino's Statue of Liberty — or "Statua della Libertà"— was gifted to the nation in 1876 by a wealthy countess (named Otilia Heyroth Wagener), a full decade before the much larger (and more famous) one in New York City was gifted to the US from France. Other than the name, it has little in common with America's — the one in San Marino is made of white carrara marble (instead of copper), and was sculpted by Stefano Galletti, not Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi.
Like "Lady Liberty," however, San Marino's is also an important national symbol — in fact, the statue is on San Marino's two eurocent coins.
Lost among the streets of the castle on a hill, I felt like I was in "The Lord of the Rings" or had gone back to the Middle Ages — minus the orcs and the plague.
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Such beauty would not be spoiled by hordes of evil goblins, or Medieval pandemics. But the imagination did still stir, conjuring all sorts of fantastical images of fire-breathing dragons, kingdoms in need of saving, and great deeds of derring-do. Fingers practically twitching, I suddenly couldn't wait to get to my hotel to start writing. San Marino really was a fairytale brought to life.
Eventually, I did check into my hotel. Hotel Titano was one of the most romantic places I'd ever stayed — and at under €60 ($66) a night, it was great value.
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Right next to the Statua della Libertà and the battlements of the postcard-perfect Palazzo Pubblico (where San Marino's government meets), the history of Hotel Titano dates back to the late 1800s.
Descending a short flight of stairs — as if I were visiting someone's den, a subterranean lair, or my favorite restaurant back where I used to live in Auckland, New Zealand. The low-ceiling lobby was full of charm. Although San Marino's official language is Italian, all the hotel staff seemed to speak perfect English (and German, too).
My room was one floor up (there was an elevator, but with it being so close, I chose to walk). Far larger than I was expecting for the €60 ($66) per night price, I didn't even want to think about how much a similar place would have cost in Tuscany, Venice or even somewhere other than the convent I was staying at in the Vatican. The highlight was a breathtaking view out the large windows of a pretty piazza (square) below. It was enough to break out into a sonata — or maybe write one down instead, since even with the windows thrown open it was blissfully quiet.
The price also included dinner at the hotel's rustic restaurant.
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Walking into La Terrazza felt more like visiting a friend's fancy backyard tent — or crashing someone's wedding reception — than a restaurant. The brightly-lit, window-walled space had an understated elegance, with minimal decor that didn't distract from the absolutely amazing, 270-degree views of the Statua della Libertà, Palazzo Pubblico, and the sprawling countryside below, which from so high up looked like a curiously green, rather lumpy carpet.
It was the most romantic meal I've ever had — even though I was alone.
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Although the restaurant was mostly full, it was pleasantly quiet. Then again, I was also probably by far the youngest person there — I was almost 30. Yet again, I couldn't help think how unlike many Italian cities the lack of pushy crowds was.
The set menu ("menu turistico") — including antipasti with wine (I chose white), a pasta (I went with ravioli with four types of cheese), steak, and gelato for dessert — was outstanding, but it was hard to focus on my food with the view from my table in the far corner. The sunset setting the stone citadel ablaze in its warm glow, the image was seared into my mind more vividly than the most HD TV ever could. Even paintings by the great masters were a poor imitation. It was so beautiful, it almost made me want to cry.
The view wasn't too bad from my room, either. The warm evening, and incredible quiet all around, meant I was able to sleep in the soft bed with the windows open.
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Surrounded by so much beauty, it was hard to go to sleep at first. Yet, finally, I did — and when I did, it was among the best sleeps I've ever had.
Well-rested, I woke up early the next day for more exploring — at least until I had to catch the bus back down the mountain and leave San Marino.
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Rolling out of bed not long after sunrise, I spent a few more hours wandering the streets — and letting my mind wander. In 2019, when technology has transformed every aspect of our lives, and when overtourism is ruining spectacular places like Tuscany and Venice (and even other castles on hills, like France's famed Mont Saint-Michel, are being loved to death), it was hard to imagine a place like San Marino could still exist.
In hindsight, I wish I'd spent more time in San Marino. There's a lot to do packed into a small area — and there's no need to rush.
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I had a train to catch from Rimini to Milan, where I'd be taking another train to Paris. Were I to take the same trip over again, I'd maybe trim a day off of Rome and Vatican City so I could spend more time in San Marino — or maybe skip Rome altogether to maximize my time in a place that, of everywhere I've been (about 90 countries so far), is now one of my favorites.
"Tuscany without the crowds" seems an apt description. But as travelers are looking for more unique experiences, San Marino could be poised for a breakout.
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San Marino has so much going for it: great weather, great food, and, of course, great scenery. As travel becomes more accessible to more people than ever before, and travelers are looking for increasingly unforgettable experiences to spend their hard-earned money on, it seems only natural that San Marino will be "discovered" by the masses soon.
In other words: now might be the perfect time to go, before it gets too mainstream (like what happened to the Cinque Terre and Tuscany, where crowds a couple decades ago were a fraction of what they are now).
I know I'm seriously considering it again.
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