San Marino Club

Located near the Adriatic coast in the middle of Italy's Emilia Romagna region, the Republic of San Marino is the oldest republic in Europe, tracing its origins to the early days of the Roman Empire. San Marino is also the smallest independent republic in the world with a current population of approximately 32,000 people. The country was founded in A.D. 301 by a stone mason named Marinus (later Saint Marino). He fled to Mont Titano, now the tiny country's capital, in order to escape persecution by the Romans.