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San Marino Is a Living Example of the Medieval City-State
How this ancient enclave continues to survive even after the model went extinct
San Marino is the fifth smallest country in the world consisting of an area that is just 61km2. It is an enclave that is surrounded on all sides by Italy. On the map it is an aberration. There are very few city-states left in the world and even fewer enclaves. San Marino is a remnant of a bygone era. This country is so fascinating because it is left over from a time period when most nations were similar in size and shape to San Marino. It is a leftover city-state from Medieval Europe that continues to exist today.
The people of San Marino speak Italian, they are largely Catholic and there are only 33,000 of them — yet they are not Italian. They are their own people. An independent nation engulfed on all sides by a large, modern, European democracy. San Marino is a fascinating case study because it shows us what life was like hundreds of years ago in a land that was a patchwork of feudal farms, fortresses, city-states and principalities.
