San Marino: Holidays and national customs
Public holidays
There are a number of public holidays that do not have a fixed date, but are based on the location of Easter. Easter takes place on the first Sunday that follows the first full moon after the beginning of spring. Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent, which ends on Holy Saturday, is 46 days before Holy Saturday. The date for Pentecost is then 50 days after Easter. Corpus Christi is celebrated on the second Thursday after Pentecost. All Saints’ Day is celebrated for Orthodox Christians on the first Sunday after Pentecost, but for Catholic Christians the date is fixed on November 1st. On October 31, Protestants celebrate Reformation Day. The Halloween festival also takes place on this day.
Date | Holiday |
January 1 | New Year |
6th January | Epiphany |
February 5 | Liberation Day |
25th March | Arengo Memorial Day |
March April | Easter |
April 1 | Inauguration of the Capitani Reggenti |
1st of May | Labor Day |
May June | Corpus Christi |
July 28 | Anniversary commemorating the end of fascism |
15th of August | Assumption Day |
September 3 | day of the Republic |
October 1 | Inauguration of the Capitani Reggenti |
November 1 | All Saints Day |
December 8 | Immaculate conception |
December 24th, 25th, 26 | Christmas |
Source: Countryaah – San Marino Holidays
If a public holiday falls on a Sunday, the following Monday becomes a public holiday.
Cultural events
Every year in July, a medieval folklore festival takes place in San Marino, the so-called ethno festival.
At the end of August and beginning of September, the Medieval Days are held in the historic center of the capital. The occasion is the anniversary of the death of the state’s founder, Marinus, who died on September 3, 301. For a week there are costume parades, concerts, festivals and fireworks. The highlight is the crossbow archery competition. “I balestieri”, the Sanmarinese crossbowmen corps, was founded in 1295 and is one of the oldest military formations in the world.
Sporting events
Since 1981, the Formula 1 car race “San Marino Grand Prix” has been held every Easter weekend in Imola’s “Enzo e Dino Ferrari” autodrome. The Placci Cup (Cyclist Grand Prix) is held annually in September.
San Marino: climate
In San Marino there is a Mediterranean climate that is milder due to the altitude. The summers are hot and dry, the winters relatively cold with rare snowfalls.
Travel times
The ideas of what is meant by a particularly favorable travel climate depend on a number of factors. Pure cultural travelers certainly see the climate differently than people who want to spend a pure beach holiday, for example. The state of health or age can also play an important role. The best time to visit the dwarf state is in spring and autumn. It’s often extremely hot in summer. And winter is mostly gray, rainy and cool.
Climate table
The following table shows a range of climate data for the country. It should be noted, however, that the climatic conditions in different regions of the country can differ considerably from one another and thus also from the values shown. In addition, such monthly temperature averages say little about the possible current minimum or maximum temperatures. It is not uncommon for average temperatures of around 30 °C to reach maximum values of 40 °C or even more on a number of days. The table therefore only provides a general overview of the climatic conditions in the country.
Month | Average number of rainy days | Mean maximum temperatures in (°C) | Mean minimum temperatures in (°C) |
January | 08 | 06 | 02 |
February | 08 | 08 | 02 |
March | 07 | 11 | 04 |
April | 07 | 15 | 06 |
May | 05 | 19 | 10 |
June | 04 | 24 | 11 |
July | 03 | 26 | 14 |
August | 03 | 26 | 17 |
September | 05 | 23 | 15 |
October | 07 | 17 | 10 |
November | 08 | 11 | 05 |
December | 10 | 08 | 03 |
San Marino: Sightseeing
- Abbreviationfinder.org: Presents the way that SM stands for the nation of San Marino as a two-letter acronym.
UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Città di San Marino
Located on the western slope of Monte Titano, the capital of the dwarf state of San Marino is a popular tourist destination. The old town is surrounded on three sides by medieval city walls with built-in gates, towers, battlements, churches and houses. You enter it through the 14th century gate tower “Porta San Francesco”.
On the three peaks of Monte Titano, Rocca Guaita, Rocca della Fratta and Rocca Montale, fortresses were built in the Middle Ages, whose fortified towers connected by corridors offer a special view. A cable car connects San Marino with the nearby village of Borgo Maggiore.
The city of San Marino and Mount Titanowere added to the World Heritage List in 2008. Due to its remote location on the mountain, the city usually escaped the urban changes that other cities went through as part of industrialization.
Forts or localities
The national territory of San Marino with the capital Citta San Marino is made up of a total of nine forts or villages. These centers emerged as a result of the country’s urbanization. The motorized visitor can drive them on well-developed roads in beautiful surroundings within a day.
Città di San Marino
The city of San Marino is almost in the middle of the state. The city has around 4,500 residents and is the political, cultural and economic center of San Marino. From here there are good connections to Rimini, among others.
According to legend, the origins of San Marino go back to Saint Marino, who fled to Monte Titano in AD 301. For more information, see above under UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
Borgo Maggiore
The small town of Borgo Maggiore is located approx. 1.5 km in a north-northwest direction from the city of San Marino, with which it is connected by a cable car. The antique market has been here since 1244 and is now held on Thursday mornings. The motorway towards Rimini ends here.
Serravalle Castle
Serravalle Castle is located in the north-west of the country. The fort was mentioned as early as 962 under the reign of Emperor Otto I (912-972). This Malatestian outpost became part of the Republic of San Marino in 1463. The place has a beautiful old town, which includes the ancient fort and some characteristic contraden (= neighborhood communities). Some restaurants and hotels allow a pleasant stay in the place.
Fort Faetano
The Fort Faetano is located in the east on the border with Italy. For a long time the castle belonged to the domain of the Malatesta di Rimini – a noble family in Romagna/Italy, which was mentioned for the first time in the 12th century. The castle came to the Republic of San Marino in 1463 as one of the last. Here you will find a church that dates back to the previous century and the fort. Anglers will find a lake for fishing here and there are wonderful walks in the nature park along the Marano river..
Domagnano
Domagnano with about 3,000 residents is in the upper third of the country and right in the middle. The village existed as early as the 14th century. In 1463, the fortifications of Montelupo were annexed to the area conquered by the San Marines after the war against the noble family of the Malatesta di Rimini.
There are numerous restaurants, trattorias and hotels along the Domagnano road. There is also a fantastic view of the sea and Titano Chiesanuova from here
Chiesanuova is far in the south-west of the country. Its origins go back to the medieval castle of Busignano. It offers an environment of particular grace. This is where the foothills of the Apennines begin, an approx. 1,500 km long mountain range that runs through Italy in a north-west-south-east direction. The peninsula got its name after him – Apennine Peninsula.
Acquaviva Fort
The fort is located in the west at about the beginning of the southern third of the country.
The origin of the name comes from a source that rises from a rock. The place nestling harmoniously into the surrounding landscape is home to numerous craft businesses and sales outlets for dairy products. The Montecerreto Natural Park is ideal for hiking and other sporting activities.
Fort Fiorentino
The Fort Fiorentino is located far to the south, roughly in the middle of an imaginary line from east to west.
It is an old fortification of the Malatesta di Rimini – a noble family in Romagna/Italy, which was mentioned for the first time in the 12th century. The castle was annexed to the Republic of San Marino in 1463. It is an area rich in historical finds. Visitors will find numerous bars, pizzerias and other eateries that stretch along the street in the center of the village.
Fort Montegiardino
The origins of Montegiardino can be traced back to the time of the Longobards – around 568 AD under King Alboin. The fort is located in the southeast a few kilometers from the Italian border.
The fort was attached to the Republic in 1463. You can find here the ancient fort and a church from 1865, in which you can find panel paintings from the 18th century.
Interesting places
Piazza della Libertà
This delightful medieval square in the capital San Marino is dominated by the Palazzo Pubblico, the country’s neo-Gothic government palace.
Piazza Grande
In the center of Borgo Maggiore is this wonderful main square, where a large traditional market is held every Thursday. The square is dominated by a palace from the 17th century, with the bell tower of the monumental structure designed in 1896 by Francesco Azzurri in 1896. The Chiesa del suffragio from the 18th century is also located on the Piazza Grande.
Interesting buildings
Palazzo Pubblico
The neo-Gothic government palace extends in the capital San Marino on the Piazza della Libertà. It was built in 1894 and contains, among other things, a painting by Guercino depicting St. Marinus. The daily changing of the guard and the military parade that takes place twice a year to introduce the new Capitani reggenti are popular tourist attractions. If you don’t want to miss this event, you should visit the city either at the beginning of April or the beginning of October.
Tre Monti di San Marino
The three fortress towers of San Marino are a group of towers on the three peaks of Monte Titano, the capital of the country. The towers were also named after these peaks – Rocca Guaita, Rocca della Fratta and Rocca Montale.
The first tower, the Guaita, is the oldest of the three and also the most famous. It originated in the 11th century and served briefly as a prison in the course of its long history.
The Fratta, built in the 13th century, is the second tower. It extends to the highest point of Monte Titano and contains a museum that was created in 1956 in honor of the “state” founder of San Marino.
The third and lowest tower is the Montale, built in the 14th century. In contrast to the other two towers, it is unfortunately not open to the public.
Anyone who has taken a closer look at the coat of arms of San Marino will find that the three fortress towers just described were immortalized on the country’s coat of arms.
Bust of Giuseppe Garibaldi
The bust of the famous Italian freedom fighter Giuseppe Garibaldis is in front of the Casa Simoncini, where the freedom fighter found refuge in 1849 with his wife Anita.
Museums
Torture
Museum This museum in the capital San Marino requires strong nerves because it shows instruments of torture and explains torture procedures that have been used for centuries to obtain confessions from criminals, but also from heretics and witches. Since there were hardly any objective methods of convicting a criminal at the time, a confession was always required for a conviction. Even if this then had to be achieved in a somewhat uncomfortable way.
State Museum
The State Museum in the capital San Marino exhibits exhibits on the history and culture of the dwarf state.
Gallery for modern and contemporary art
The state gallery for modern and contemporary art exhibits around 750 works by artists from the first decades of the 20th century to the present day. You can find thematically organized: paintings, drawings, watercolors, sculptures and photographs.
Pinacoteca San Francesco
In the 14th century building in the old town of Citta San Marino there is a museum of ecclesiastical art and a picture gallery with works from the 15th to the 20th century in the loggia of the cloister.
Postage Stamp Museum
The Città di San Marino is connected to the lower Borgo Maggiore by a cable car. And here in Borgo Maggiore is the State’s Stamp and Coin Museum. The museum contains every postage stamp that has ever been issued by San Marino – from the first issue in 1877 to the most recent issues.
Museum of Natural History
The aim of this state institution is, among other things, to contribute to the dissemination of scientific environmental protection. In addition, the visitor should be introduced to the natural habitats including the fauna, flora, geology and paleontology of San Marino. The three-dimensional replica of the national territory of San Marino on a scale of 1: 8,000 is well worth seeing. Numerous European species of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish as well as minerals and fossils are also exhibited.
The museum is located in the old town of Borgo Maggiore
Emigration Museum
This museum is special because it documents the emigration of the San Marines. The museum is located in some of the halls of the old monastery of St. Clare.
Churches
Basilica di San Marino
This famous sacred building is the most important church in the state of San Marino. It was built between 1826 and 1838 and its design is based on the plans of the architect Antonio Serra. Inaugurated in 1855 and in 1926 by Pope Pius XI. The church, elevated to the status of a minor basilica, contains relics of the patron saint Marinus, paintings by Titian’s pupils, the old throne of Capitani Reggenti and some valuable statues of saints.
Chiesa del Suffragio
The “Church of the Intercession” is located in Borgo Maggiore on the wonderful Piazza Grande. It was built in the 18th century and dedicated to Saint Antimo, Bishop of Nicomedia, who was martyred under Massiminiano on April 27, 303. The clock tower was designed by Francesco Azzurri in 1896.
Chiesa e Convento di San Francesco
The church and monastery of Saint Francsco (Francis of Assisi) are the oldest church in the republic, construction of which began in 1361. It is a work from the school of the Comacini masters. The Die Magistri Comacini were architects, builders and stonemasons who originally came from the region of Como and Lake Como and because of their special skills as “traveling craftsmen” were given jobs in northern Italy and/or north of the Alps.
In the cloister of the complex is a small museum with sacred objects and a picture gallery, the main works of which are Titian’s “Saint Francis” and Guercino’s “Stigmatization of Saint Francis”.
Santuario della Beata Vergine della Consolazione
The “Sanctuary of Our Blessed Lady of Consolation” dates from 1958 and is located at the motorway exit of Borgo Maggiore. The modern construct was designed by Giacomo Michelucci.
Chiesa San Lorenzo (Church of San Lorenzo)
Since the beginning of the spread of Christianity, a church dedicated to the saint has stood on the hill of Monte San Lorenzo. It is located just outside the town of Montegiardino – in the south-east of the country. The current three-nave church was built in the neo-Romanesque style in 1865.
Oratorio Valloni
This chapel is dedicated to Saint Giovanni Battista. It is decorated with paintings, sculptures and stucco and is used to worship the Knights of Malta.
Chiesa della Beata Vergine della Consolazione
This church – in English “Pilgrimage Church of the Blessed Virgin of Consolation” – is one of the most important works of art of the 20th century in San Marimo. The church, consecrated in 1967, is located in the village and was designed by the architect Giovanni Michelucci from Florence.
Chiesa e Convento dei Servi di Maria
The church – in German “Church and Monastery of the Servants of Saint Mary” – was built between the 15th and 16th centuries. In the church there is a polyptych made by the artist Coda from Rimini
Chiesetta San Pietro
This small church – in English little church of Saint Peter – was built on the remains of an ancient building and redesigned in the 19th century. In the church, two hollows carved out of the rock are said to contain the remains of the two saints Marino and Pope Leo IX. (1002-1054).
Chiesa San Paolo
The church of San Paolo in Faetano was designed in neo-Romanesque style by the Capuchin monk Angelo da Cassano from Milan and handed over to the faithful in 1917. The church was extensively restored after the Second World War and wonderfully decorated in 1950 by Don Amedeo Botticelli from the Italian town of Camerano – in the province of Ancona.
I balestieri, the crossbowmen
The “I balestieri” (the crossbowmen) are highly valued by both locals and visitors. The Republic’s Crossbowmen Corps, whose beginnings date back to 1295, is one of the oldest military units in the world. Nowadays, however, they only serve representative purposes and on September 3rd – the national holiday of San Marino, the archers give crossbowmen in front of the spectators examples of their craftsmanship and accuracy with their “weapons”. The spectators like to record the spectacle on video cameras or cameras.
University
Università degli Studi di San Marino
The university was founded in 1985 and is currently divided into six faculties (Facoltà). For the establishment of the International Center for Semiotic and Cognitive Studies none other than Umberto Eco, the famous Italian scholar, who became world famous mainly through his novel “The Name of the Rose”, was responsible. Until 1995 he was teaching at the University of San Marino.