History

Historical records tell us that Mount Titano and its slopes were inhabited as far back as prehistoric times, and the State Museum has exhibits dating back to that time.

Legend, on the other hand, traces the foundation of the Republic back to Marinus, a stone-cutter from Dalmatia. Marino arrived in Rimini in 257 A.D. and remained there until he fled to nearby Mount Titan to escape persecution against Christians at the hands of Emperor Diocletian.

On Mount Titan, he became a point of reference for a small community thanks to his charismatic personality, until Mount Titan was donated to him by the then owner, Donna Felicita (or Felicissima) as a thank you for having cured her infirm son.

The population already living in the area thus joined the sense of cohesion and independence transmitted by Marino; indeed, it seems that his last words before his death were: 'Relinquo vos liberos ab utroque homine' (I leave you free from both men, implying the figures of the Pope and the Emperor). It was 301 A.D. when the foundations of independence were laid.

The testimonies of San Marino's glorious past are still visible in the heart of the Republic, the historical centre of the Capital, which cannot be missed during a trip to San Marino.