San Marino Is a Living Example of the Medieval City-State

How this ancient enclave continues to survive even after the model went extinct

Grant Piper

--

Fortress of Guaita (Max Ryazanov / CC BY-SA 3.0)

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…

--

--

Grant Piper

Professional writer. Amateur historian. Husband, father, Christian.