The Three Towers of San Marino

You will remember this walk. And you just might break your camera/phone taking pictures.  San Marino is that spectacular.

A few miles inland from Rimini, San Marino is the world’s oldest republic, dating back to AD 300. Population 33,000, 24 square miles of territory, named for a stonemason who came from Croatia to escape religious persecution.  (See Diocletian, the Great Persecution.) There are nine castles, for which the principal villages or municipalities in San Marino are named. On this route you will drive past three: Serravalle, Domagnano, and Borgo Maggiore. You’re going to the top of the mountain, to San Marino Città. 

You begin in Dogana, the border village at the bottom of the mountain, where on SP 72 Italy meets San Marino.  In Dogana your elevation is 492 feet. Set your navigator for Funivia Borgo Maggiore. And up you go. When you finish the ascent by car, then by cable car, then on foot, you’ll be at 2215 feet, at the top of the capital city, San Marino Città.  

Circling around the first roundabout above Dogana, if you look up to the left, you will see the castle of Serravalle. Continue your drive up the mountain, about ten minutes, until you see the signs for “funivia,” the cable car station just below Borgo Maggiore. It’s a right turn into the station.  Park and take the cable car up to Città. In the distance you will see the Adriatic stretching out to the horizon. On a clear day, they say you can see all the way to Croatia.

When you exit the cable car at the top station, you are on Mount Titano. The three towers are your ultimate destination, three short, sometimes steep hikes with dazzling views of the surrounding countryside. But before that, here are a few stops to make along that way: 

• Piazza della Libertà, with the Palazzo Pubblico
• The Cava dei Balestrieri (crossbow court)
• The Basilica of San Marino
• And around just about every curve, beautiful statuary

Note: Just below your climb up the straightaway to the first tower, you will pass a little restaurant called La Capanna on the left. Maybe on your walk back you will want to stop for refreshments. Here, too, the view will be amazing, and the servers are gracious and charming. To rest, to drink; to drink perchance to eat. On the menu: piada, cassoni, pizza, even a respectable dish of pasta. You will not be disappointed. 

The three towers are Guaita, Cesta, and Montale. Constructed between the 11th and 13 centuries, they provided security and also served as prisons.

Guaita is first and oldest of the three, with inside the walls a statue of Saint Barbara, patron saint of artillery, and a chapel, and two sets of walls, and a bell tower that once sounded alarm, a call to arms at the fortification. It’s a short walk from La Capanna up to Guaita, a short steep walk. You may want to duck inside the tower and have a look. 

Leaving Guaita, you take the walk down and to the left, through an arch, and cross the Passo Della Strega, the witch’s crossing, in the direction of Cesta, also called Fratta, the second tower. At Passo della Strega, look to the left, toward the sea, and to the right, to take in the Apennine foothills.  

Note: along this walk, behind you looms the first tower. The best vantage point for a photo lies ahead. Continue onward 50-75 meters, past a snackbar and past two shops on your left. Almost arriving at the second tower, there will be a short passage jutting to a platform on the left. Turn and see the first tower. Take you selfie, your family photo. Any time of year, this view of the first tower is iconic.

Inside the second tower is a weapons museum. If you paid to see the first tower, you also have access to the second. 

Onward to Montale, the third tower, down the trail, then up the trail to the dead end with a breathtaking overlook.  On your left, the tower. No entrance. There is a short rocky climb up to it. 

From here you will retrace your steps. Your objective is to get back to the funivia. San Marino is like Venice:  it’s easy to get lost. You’ll have a sense of the general direction, but it’s a maze of narrow streets with sharp turns and switchbacks. Take your time, ask for directions, everyone speaks English. Which way to the funivia?

Where to eat in San Marino:

• In Città: La Capanna
• In Borgo Maggiore: Trattoria Lino. Just above the parking lot at the Funivia.
• In Ventoso: Osteria da Giulio. Via Decima Gualdaria, 124, 47893 Ventoso, San Marino. osteriadagiulio.com. 0549 963780