A country between two regions
The territory of the Republic borders the province of Rimini to the north and east and the province of Pesaro-Urbino to the south and west. The main relief is Mount Titano, with three summits reaching 738, 756 and 729 metres respectively. Around it stretch hills, woods and vineyards; the Marano river marks the northern border, the Ausa the eastern one.
The nine Castelli are distributed with different densities: the City of San Marino occupies the summit of the Titano; Borgo Maggiore is just below, on the northern slope; Serravalle concentrates the productive settlement to the east; the other six Castelli, smaller in size, lie to the south and west.
The upper city
The historic centre has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2008 together with Mount Titano. It covers about 55 hectares, is entirely pedestrian within the Limited Traffic Zone and is crossed by a network of alleys, staircases and balconies that link the various levels. The visit poles are the Basilica of Saint Marinus, Piazza della Libertà with Public Palace, the three towers on the ridge and the Crossbowmen's Quarry.
Montecerreto and Baldasserona
Two places in the Sammarinese territory are tied to the origins of the Republic. The first is the hill of Montecerreto, at whose foot tradition places the spring with which Saint Marinus is said to have baptised the early Christians; the document known as the Placito Feretrano of 885 cites the Castle of Montecerreto, today identified with Acquaviva, as the place where the oldest document of the Republic was issued.
Still in the Castello di Acquaviva is the cliff of Baldasserona, considered the place where Saint Marinus is said to have first stopped. A fissure in the stone is regarded as the first refuge of the founder. It is a legendary site, a symbolic starting point of the history of the Republic.
Navigable territory
The map below allows exploration of the territory and zooming on individual Castelli, identifying access roads, car parks and services.
Cartography · OpenStreetMap · Internal map of the historic centre: information desks of Piazza della Libertà
