I hadn’t heard of this beautiful, tiny country until I visited it

I’m not happy, Jan. My sister (not named Jan) has decided to (sensibly) stay on the ship today and skip the shore excursions. Who could blame her? The ship, Seven Seas Grandeur, is a beauty.

It’s a rainy, grey Tuesday and she’s not the only one who would like to indulge in a cosy lie-in. Instead, I’m taking an eight-hour excursion to a tiny European republic I hadn’t heard of until last week.

The Republic of San Marino’s Monte Titano at dusk.Credit: Getty Images

Why? A decade ago, I made a vow to myself to visit three new countries every year. Today, docked in Ancona, the capital of the Marche region in Italy, I have a golden opportunity to gain a new passport stamp.

The compact, landlocked country of San Marino with a population of about 34,000 can be reached in two hours from Ancona, and I won’t have to drive. Rain or shine, I’m going.

Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ shore excursion program is impressive and generous, offering thousands of tours worldwide. Guests are only limited by time in choosing how many they join. Most of the line’s shore excursions are complimentary, though there is a fee for my tour today. That hasn’t stopped more than 20 passengers from signing up.

Landlocked by Italy, the Republic of San Marino is the world’s fifth-smallest country. Founded in the early 4th century by Saint Marinus (patron saint of bachelors, falsely accused people and San Marino), the nation’s total land mass is just 61 square kilometres. In Europe, only Vatican City and Monaco are smaller.

The city was given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008.Credit: Getty Images

Given UNESCO World Heritage Site status in 2008, San Marino’s past can be seen and felt today in its medieval fortresses, stone churches and winding, cobblestone streets. In pictures, it looks like the fairytale principality of a European royal empire from the Middle Ages. Squint and you can almost see golden-locked Disney princesses in towers and toothless ogres peering out of dungeons.

As we drive towards our destination, tour guide Yvonne jokes that San Marino is so independent of Italy it even has its own weather system. She points it out in the distance, a hilly commune under an incongruent patch of blue sky, devoid of the mist and rain clouds we’re passing through.

Yvonne says it’s a dream of many Italians to live and work in San Marino because income tax for Sammarinese citizens is much lower than rates in the EU. The only way to gain that privileged status, according to Yvonne, is to be born there or marry a local.

The hike up to the Three Towers of Guaita, Cesta and Montale is steep.Credit: Getty Images

Eyes peeled for handsome marriage candidates, we exit the tour bus and cross the street from Italy to San Marino’s Old Town. There’s no border control, barrier or wall between the countries. It’s as easy as wandering into Vatican City from the streets of Rome.

Not so easy is the hike up steep pathways to the Three Towers of Guaita, Cesta and Montale. Depicted on both the national flag and coat of arms, the towers are located on the three peaks of Monte Titano.

The magnificent vaults of the Basilica of San Marino.Credit: Getty Images

From up high, the surrounding countryside is emerald green and dotted with stone farmhouses. The Adriatic Sea beckons us to pay attention, once again, to the Italian coastline.

After a look inside the magnificent Basilica of San Marino and a stop for refreshments, we’re given free time to browse the shops and galleries in the main hub of town. Catering to the constant flow of tourists, the Old Town’s shops are stocked with souvenirs, artworks, handmade jewellery, rare stamps and coins. There are also some local liqueurs that pack a punch.

Brace for a challenging climb up to the Fortress of Guaita.Credit: Getty Images

The only souvenir I’m looking for today is a San Marino passport stamp and I find it at the tourist information centre. I hand over €5 for proof I’ve set foot in the republic. Visiting this part of the world for the first time? Priceless.

THE DETAILS

A lie-in is tempting … Seven Seas Grandeur’s cosy deluxe verandah suite.

Cruise
Regent Seven Seas Cruises’ 10-night itinerary, The Beauty & Culture of Italy, begins in Venice and includes a port stop in Urbino (Ancona). From there, a shore excursion to the Republic of San Marino is offered. A deluxe veranda suite on Seven Seas Grandeur costs $17,620 per person for an October 2025 departure. See RSSC.com

The writer was a guest of Regent Seven Seas Cruises.

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