The Mount Titano
Mount Titano dominates the Sammarinese landscape, a topographic landmark recognisable already from the Adriatic coast. Its rock, calcareous-arenaceous, is a residue of the fragmentation of a great submarine plate dating back twenty million years. Other fragments of the same plate today form Mount Verna, the Simoncello, the Fumaiolo and the spur of San Leo, orographic companions that mark the start of the Tuscan-Romagnol Apennines.
The shape of the Titano is unusual for a surrounding territory of mostly rolling hills: a vertical rocky block of 749 metres rising above the valley with three aligned peaks. On these three summits stand the Three Towers (Guaita, Cesta, Montale), which visually identify the Republic and are the symbol on the national coat of arms.
Set between two regions
The Republic borders only Italy along 39 kilometres. To the north and east the boundary runs with the Province of Rimini, in Emilia-Romagna. To the south and west with the Province of Pesaro and Urbino, in Marche. There are no internal customs: passage has been free and continuous since 1951, when frontier controls were abolished. The Adriatic Sea lies about 12 kilometres in a straight line from the north-eastern border, and less than 25 kilometres by road from the historic centre.
| Indicator | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Surface | 61,196 km² | 3rd smallest State in Europe |
| Highest point | 749 m (Mount Titano) | Cesta 755 m · Guaita 738 m |
| Lowest point | 55 m (Falciano) | Curazia of Serravalle |
| Border length | 39 km | All with Italy |
| Historic Castelli | 9 | Municipalities of the Republic |
| Maximum width | 8,75 km | From Fiumicello to Molino Frati |
Torrents towards the Adriatic
The Titano gives rise to a network of minor torrents that cut across the territory and flow into the two great Romagnol collectors: the Marano and the Marecchia, which reach the Adriatic just over twenty kilometres from the border. The Marano rises at the northern boundary from Mount Ghelfa and crosses Montegiardino and Faetano.
The Rio San Marino rises in Marche and crosses the Castelli of Fiorentino, Chiesanuova and Acquaviva. The Ausa flows along the north-eastern slope crossing Serravalle, Domagnano and Borgo Maggiore. The Fiumicello rises within the Republic itself and marks the maximum width of the territory, 8,75 kilometres between the Marano tributary and the Molino Frati of Acquaviva.
A Republic in nine municipalities
The territory is divided into nine Castelli, the word that in the Republic indicates historic municipalities. Each Castello has its own administrative Giunta and a story of progressive absorption, often following wars or treaties. The complete chapter is treated on the page about the Castelli of San Marino.
The territory is densely historic: the most populous urban centre is Serravalle, the oldest is the chief town of City of San Marino. The landscape of the UNESCO site lies mainly within the chief-town Castello and along the ridge of the Titano: details and motivation of the inscription are described on the page why San Marino is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
«A single rock, with its three peaks, that the Sky had placed up there so a people might learn to defend it without armies.»