Climb the Three Towers Above the Old Town
San Marino's historic centre is built into the slope of Monte Titano, and the most direct way to understand the place is to walk it upward. The three towers are the landmarks that anchor the whole city: the first and oldest, the second, and the third, each set on its own point along the ridge. The walk between them takes you through the old streets and gives you the long views down over the surrounding countryside. Give yourself a half day so you can stop often.
Step Into the Basilica di San Marino
The Basilica di San Marino is the principal church of the city and the natural place to begin if you are visiting around All Saints' Day. On 1 November the country observes the holiday much as Italy does, and the day takes the shape it does across the region: services in the churches, visits to the cemeteries, and time with family. Plan your morning around the church and leave the afternoon open.
Mark All Saints' Day on 1 November
All Saints' Day falls on 1 November and is a public holiday in San Marino, as it is in Italy. That single fact should govern your planning more than any other: it is a national day of observance, not an ordinary date on the calendar.
- Expect the day to centre on church services and cemetery visits rather than on commercial events.
- Expect families to gather, as they do across the region, which changes the rhythm of the streets.
- Build your own day around those same observances rather than against them.
Walk the Old Town on Foot
The historic centre rewards walking and nothing else. Between the Basilica and the three towers you cover the essential ground of the city on foot, climbing through the old streets as the views open out over the landscape below. Wear shoes you can climb in and carry water.
Start Planning Around the First of November
Fix your dates to the holiday and let everything else follow. Book your travel so that you are in San Marino on 1 November, plan a morning at the Basilica di San Marino, and keep the rest of the day free for the old town and the walk to the three towers. A visit built around the observance will tell you more about the place than one built around a schedule of events.