San Marino, two thousand years without depending on anyone
“History of San Marino: Middle Ages / Modern and contemporary age / Twentieth century and present time” Edited by Luca Gorgolini and Stefano Pivato – Stones of the book.
A great history book that tells us about the events and characters of San Marino over two thousand years. The editors write in the introduction: “The book is the result of a collaboration between long-time historians and young researchers who trained in the School of Historical Studies of the University of San Marino”. And they continue: “Usually the writing of a textbook is the work of a single scholar. In this case, the choice was different and the drafting of the text was entrusted to fifteen authors, whose different backgrounds and skills have made it possible to grasp, over the centuries, a series of events that have increasingly interconnected each other them and whose investigation could only be carried out by those who cultivate knowledge that is not always considered among the historical disciplines”.
It is from this that we must start to write the story of a very small town (just over 50 sq km) nestled in the middle of Italy. The remarkable opening essay of Tommaso di Carpegna Falconieri (“The medieval age. 6th-15th centuries”) this is what it tells us: “The history of San Marino is handed down and condensed into an idea: the Republic is the oldest in the world and has existed since 3 September 301, i.e. from the day of the death of the stonecutter Marino”, who arrived on Titan from the Dalmatian island of Arbe, to escape the persecutions of the pagans against the Christians. But the truth is that in the case of San Marino the”the grafts of the imaginary in the narrative of history have been different and had as their main purpose that of demonstrating the antiquity and continuity of the Republic”.
It is after the year 1000 that some historical certainties begin to exist, but it will only be from September 21, 1462when they will be signed with the papal legate i Pacts of Fossombrone, that San Marino will enter modern history. With the signing of the Pacts, San Marino obtained the annexation of Serravalle, Montegiardino and Fiorentino and the following year Faetano was spontaneously added.
The twentieth century is told by Luca Gorgolini (“The Twentieth Century and the Present Time”) through the urban and economic transformations of the small Republic, but also thanks to the action of men who have pursued projects of innovation and transformation: Peter Francosi (1864-1935) among the founders of the San Marino Socialist Party, the brothers Julian (1894-1955) E Manlius (1889-1968) goiters leader of the fascist party in the twenty years, Ezio Balducci (1904-1957) dissident fascist and ambassador of the transition years 1944-1946, Gino Zanini (1882-1964) the builder of medieval San Marino in the thirties, the communist leader Gildo Gasperoni (1906-1994), Gino Giacomini (1878-1962) socialist and foreign minister of left-wing governments, Federico Bigi (1920-1996) DCS secretary and foreign minister after the overthrow of the leftist government in 1957, Alvaro Casali (1896-1978) socialist dissident and founder of the Social Democratic Party allied with the DCS.
“The railway constituted the most original tourist work of the regime and provided a decisive impetus to the tourist launch of the small Republic, whose image in those years was also significantly retouched with a series of interventions that had a strong impact on the city. In fact, a ‘medievalisation’ of the historic center was implemented, in addition to the construction of the ‘functional city’”.
Countless data that Gorgolini provides on the political evolution of the country, but also on great economic and social transformation: the transition from an agricultural world to a tertiary and commercial world, which finds in the development of tourism the driving force of its economic growth, the growth of schooling and demographic education (the population goes from 3,686 units in 1818 to 34,033 in 2021, an increase by 378%), emigration (almost 15,000 San Marino citizens reside abroad, of which 6,500 in Italy).
“Handmaid of transformation was the creation of Rimini-San Marino highway. Opened with a decree in 1959, the motorway was transformed in a short time from a fast-flowing road to a crossing route” various territories of the Republic. “Residential and commercial settlements gathered along the road” (from the essay by Luca Morganti “The urban and territorial transformations in the history of San Marino”).
Of extraordinary interest, and of great relevance for the ongoing claims by the female world of San Marino, the essay by Valentina Rossi (“San Marino women and the conquest of the right to vote”). Only in 1959 were San Marino women able to vote, but they had to wait until 1973 to be elected. It was the DCS, in the years of opposition to the left-wing government, extremely resistant to granting it, which fought for the granting of the vote to women. Then once in government with the social democrats, the DCS “he showed various hesitations in recognizing that right for which the same politicians had proudly fought in previous years”. In 1974 the election to the Great and General Council of the first 4 women was finally possible: Clare Boscagli (1930-1990) for the PDCS, Marina Busignani Reffi (1930-2006) for the PSS, Anna Maria Casali (1953-) and Fausta Simona Morganti (1944-2021) for the PCS. Only in 1981 Maria Lea Pedini of the PSS, first woman, was elected Captain Regent.
Ivo Biagianti wrote the chapter dedicated to “The modern and contemporary age, XVI-XIX centuries)”, Marica De Angelis and Paolo Pascucci they wrote that on “San Marino Statutes and Institutions”, Michael Chiaruzzo that on”The international relations of the Republic”, Patricia DeLuca that on “Displacement during the Second World War” and that up “Emigration between the 19th and 20th centuries”, Matthew Troillo up”The explosion of tourism Martina Bollini up “Art through the ages. Three significant monuments”, Veronica Casali and Bojana Gruska up “Archaeological discoveries: settlements in ancient times”, Vito G. Testa up “The Development of Cultural Institutions”, Sergio Barducci up “Newspapers and journalism from the nineteenth century to the present day”.
Over the centuries, the Republic has preserved the pride that its citizens expressed to the Pope of Romagna who, having ascended Mount Titano in 1294 and conspicuously opposed to the payment of taxes, turned to them asking what freedom was. And when asked, the people of San Marino replied that being free meant not being dependent on anyone. This stubborn and proud defense of its autonomy has constituted a common thread that has crossed and distinguished the history of the San Marino community up to today.
This historical manual has succeeded in affirming, in the various essays, this philosophy of the existence of the Republic of San Marino.
Paul Zaghini