San Marino has Mediterranean climate. This European country enjoys one of the gentlest climates in the world, as it has warm breezy summers and cool crisp winters, which is one of the reasons that the tourists flock towards it all year round. One of the factor that contributes to its enviable climate is that the extra elevation gives them an upland climate making it cooler compared to other countries. During summer, the temperature ranges between 20°C to 30°C and summer evenings are always cooler. San Marino’s summer is also characterized by brief rain showers, which makes the place serene. During winters, it has a moderate snow precipitation, allowing the people to enjoy without the risk of being frozen or getting frostbites. The temperature does not go lower than -6°C.

Religion in San Marino plays an important part in the lifestyle of the people living in this country. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion in the country and most of the people are followers of the same religion. There are several cathedrals and churches in the country, where people go to worship. In the initial years, there was a lot of conflict in the country regarding the issue of the religion, which was later sorted out and Roman Catholicism was whole-heartedly accepted by all the people residing in the country. Religion in the country is not controlled by any political power. There are some other groups of religious practitioners too in the country, which include Jehovah’s Witnesses, Muslims and Baha’is. The government does not provide any special services to the churches; hence, most of these are run with the help of charity and donations offered by several different sections of the society. The Basilica is the holiest place for the people of San Marino as it has the remains of the great Saint Marino, after whom the country is named.

The Basilica

The spoken and written languages of San Marino are two in number. The native language of San Marino is Emiliano-Romagnolo and majority of the people speak the same. However, the official language in San Marino is Italian as the official works are carried out in Italian. In schools and colleges, the medium of instructions are both the languages of San Marino. The Italian language that is used extensively in the country is classified as Indo-European, Romance, Italic, Italo-Dalmatian and Italo-Western. The majority of the younger generation use Italian, but there are small groups of elders who still use some dialects as the only language between them. Nowadays, dialects of the people are protected by only a few and spoken only by the elders. It is said that the use of Italian language helps the younger generation to be employed in Italy.

The cuisine of San Marino has a very close resemblance with the Italian cuisine. The food and meals are important part of life in San Marino. The cuisine is Mediterranean, comprising of fresh and locally grown produce, pasta and meat. They use various types of spices and sauces to add an extra pinch of flavour and taste to food. The traditional recipes include Faggioli con le cotiche, a dark bean soup flavoured with bacon and is prepared during Christmas. Other extremely popular dishes among the people are Pasta e cece, Nidi di rondine, Bustrengo, Zuppa di ciliegie and Cacciatello. These food items have also been loved by the travellers as well as the tourists. Roast Rabbit with fennel is also a popular Sammarinese dish. Baked and light cooked dishes are also preferred by the people. Food and drinks in San Marino are an integral part of their social life.

Faggioli con le cotiche

Bustrengo

Tourism is one of the most important parts of San Marino’s economy and many businesses cater to the tourist trade. Small businesses like restaurants, souvenir shops depend heavily on the tourism industry. The sale of postage stamps and coins also helps in generating revenue. Their economy relies on banking industry, the manufacturing industry as well as on the exports of ceramics, clothing, fabrics, furniture, paint, spirits and tiles. The manufacturing and financial sector account for more than half of San Marino’s GDP. San Marino’s main trading partner is Italy, accounting for 85% of its export. Agricultural products and consumer goods are exported to Italy, Eastern Europe, South America, China and Taiwan.

There are abundant transportation facilities in San Marino to make it convenient for the tourists to move in and out of the city. The transportation mainly runs on car or bus services as the superior quality of roads make the condition favourable for the people. Several taxi operating companies have been licensed to ply within the country, where-as Italian taxis have been permitted to pick up passengers from Italy and drop them to San Marino. The San Marino Highway offer the best roadways, due to which big numbers of private buses have been authorized to move within the country. Only a few buses and cars have been authorized with International number plates to move beyond the country. Along with this, there are two aerial tramway (gondolas) cars that operate and provide service with fifteen minutes intervals throughout the day.

Tramway cars (gondolas)

There are many unique animal species which call this land as their home, from rats to weasels and even the common otter are squeezed into this small package. One of the most notable native animal to this country is the ‘Cross fox’ which varies greatly in size and depends on insects and small animals for their diet. The common otter is also found in this country, these little creatures live and survive in all sort of water habitats, from ponds, lakes, rivers, streams or brooks. They are basically nocturnal creatures migrating mostly in the late hours of the night. The most unique animal found here is the ‘least weasel’ which is considered to be the smallest carnivore as it never grows beyond 20 cm. This animal usually prefers to live alone.

Cross Fox

Least Weasel’

G Kowledge of | 0 Comments >>

0 Comments

Leave Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked.