The Oldest Republic – Episode 11

How does a republic tell its own story through art?

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore the artistic heritage of San Marino through three symbolic places that reveal how the Republic has represented itself across the centuries. Rather than offering a complete history of art, we follow a journey through buildings, images and monuments that connect memory, identity and power.

Our first stop is the Church and Convent of Saint Francis, one of the oldest and most significant religious complexes in the Republic. From medieval foundations and Renaissance frescoes to works linked to the great artistic centres of Italy, this site tells a story of faith, culture and artistic exchange.

We then move to the Monastery of Saint Clare, whose history begins during the Catholic Reformation and unfolds through the lives of the women who inhabited it. More than a religious building, it became a place of education, memory and community, leaving behind a rich artistic and cultural legacy.

Finally, we arrive at the Government Palace, perhaps the most symbolic building in San Marino. Rebuilt in the nineteenth century in a neo-medieval style, it was designed not only as a seat of government but also as a visual statement of the Republic’s identity, linking its institutions to the myth of perpetual freedom and its medieval origins.

Throughout the episode, we encounter vanished buildings, rediscovered artworks, ambitious restorations and carefully crafted symbols. Together, they reveal how San Marino has continuously used art and architecture to shape the image it presents to itself and to the world.

A small republic telling its story… through stone, images and memory.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #Art #CulturalHeritage

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 11: M. Bollini, Art Through the Centuries: Three Significant Monuments.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:28 Saint Francis’ Church
05:31 Monastery of Saint Clare
10:04 Government Building
14:22 Conclusion

The Oldest Republic – Episode 10

A small community built on stone, faith and steep cliffs. A city enclosed by walls, shaped by centuries of history.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore the long urban transformation of San Marino, following the evolution of its landscape from the first medieval settlements on Mount Titano to the challenges of modern urban planning.

The story begins with the earliest traces of settlement around monasteries, churches and defensive structures, before following the gradual development of the medieval city, its walls and towers. Over centuries, San Marino grew slowly, preserving an urban identity that remained largely unchanged until the modern age.

The nineteenth century marked a turning point. New monuments such as the Basilica and the Government Palace reshaped the historic centre, expressing a renewed sense of national identity and projecting the image of an ancient republic entering the modern world.

The episode also explores the extraordinary work of Gino Zani in the twentieth century. Through restorations, reconstructions and ambitious urban projects, Zani helped create the image of San Marino that visitors know today: a city that appears medieval, yet is also the result of modern reinterpretation.

After the Second World War, rapid economic growth, tourism and industrial development transformed the territory once again. New roads, residential areas and commercial districts expanded beyond the historic centre, creating a landscape increasingly shaped by modern needs and opportunities.

From medieval walls to highways, from fortified towers to urban sprawl, this episode traces the continuous dialogue between heritage and development that has defined San Marino for centuries.

A small republic constantly rebuilding itself… in stone, concrete and memory.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #Architecture #UrbanHistory

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 10: L. Morganti, Urban and Territorial Transformations in the History of San Marino.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:07 From Its Origins to the Medieval City: The Urban Roots of San Marino
06:05 The Construction of Identity: From the Pellacchi Cadastre to the Nineteenth-Century Monuments
10:07 Gino Zani and the "Re-Creation" of San Marino
13:06 From the Post-War Period to the Highway: The Assault on the Territory
14:50 Rules, Town Planning Schemes and the Difficult Relationship with the Territory
17:02 Conclusions

The Oldest Republic – Episode 9

A small republic on a mountain. Poor soil, hard work, little hope for the future.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore one of the most important and emotional chapters in San Marino’s modern history: emigration. Between the nineteenth century and the middle of the twentieth century, thousands of Sammarinese left their homeland in search of work, stability and dignity.

At first, migration was seasonal. Workers travelled on foot from the mountain to the plains of Romagna, the Marche or Lazio, looking for temporary jobs as labourers and peasants. But as poverty persisted and new routes opened through railways and steamships, migration became global.

From Argentina and Brazil to France, Belgium and the United States, entire communities of Sammarinese emigrants formed abroad. Some became miners, construction workers and factory labourers; others opened restaurants, workshops and small businesses, building new lives far from Mount Titano.

The episode follows this long journey across borders and oceans, exploring not only the economic causes behind emigration, but also the emotional dimension of departure: the letters sent home, the families divided for years, the uncertainty of travel and the dream of returning one day.

We also explore the impact of Fascism, restrictive immigration laws and post-war migration agreements, as well as the gradual reversal that transformed San Marino, from a land of departure into a country attracting workers from abroad.

At the heart of this story lies a profound contradiction: in order to survive, many Sammarinese had to leave their Republic behind — while continuing to carry it with them everywhere they went.

A small state whose history travelled far beyond its borders.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #Emigration

Welcome to the history of the oldest republic in the world.

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 9: P. di Luca, Emigration Between the 19th and 20th Centuries.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
02:01 The Horizon of Departure
04:12 Emigration: from “mount to plain”
06:47 Across the Ocean and across the Border
09:55 Latest Journeys and Returns
11:23 The Legacy of an Exodus

The Oldest Republic – Episode 8

1950s. Around the world, women are gaining political rights. In nearby Italy, women have already voted for the first time. In San Marino, however, change arrives slowly.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore the long and difficult struggle for women’s suffrage in the Republic of San Marino — a story shaped by political tensions, social conservatism and determined activism.

The episode follows the gradual path that led Sammarinese women from exclusion to participation: from the first campaigns for the right to vote, to the creation of women’s committees and popular petitions, all the way to the historic reforms of the 1970s.

But this story is also full of contradictions. During the years of the social-communist government, it was often the left-wing parties that resisted women’s suffrage, fearing the influence of the Church on female voters. At the same time, many Christian Democratic women became leading voices in the fight for political rights.

From the debates surrounding legal equality and citizenship to the disappointment of delayed reforms, the Republic slowly opened its institutions to women. The right to vote arrived in 1959, but women had to wait until 1973 to gain the right to stand for election.

The episode also traces the emergence of the first female political leaders, from Myriam Michelotti, Clara Boscaglia and Fausta Morganti to Maria Lea Pedini, the first woman Captain Regent in San Marino’s history.

Behind these milestones lies a broader transformation: the gradual change of Sammarinese society itself, as education, work and public life increasingly reshaped the role of women within the Republic.

A small state confronting one of the great civil rights struggles of the twentieth century.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #Women #CivilRights

Welcome to the history of the oldest republic in the world.

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 8: V. Rossi, Sammarinese Women and The Attainment of Women's Suffrage.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:00 The Historical Context
03:10 The Struggle for the Right to Vote
09:18 A Greater Participation
13:56 The First Woman to become Captain Regent

Dopo la tempesta dei Gracchi, a Roma sembra tornare la calma.
Le assemblee si riuniscono, i magistrati vengono eletti, la Repubblica ritrova una superficie di normalità. Ma sotto le ceneri, il fuoco continua a bruciare.

In questo finale di stagione raccontiamo la figura di Quinto Cecilio Metello, protagonista di una fase di restaurazione politica in cui la nobiltà senatoria sembra riprendere il controllo della Repubblica.

Tra la guerra in Numidia, la frattura con Gaio Mario e il tentativo di riaffermare il prestigio dell’élite tradizionale, la sua vicenda mostra una Roma solo apparentemente stabilizzata.

È il trionfo della nobiltà, ma solo per un momento.
Perché la crisi della Repubblica non è finita: sta solo cambiando forma.

Grazie di cuore per aver seguito questa stagione. Torneremo presto con la terza, per continuare a raccontare la storia della Repubblica romana, passo dopo passo.

I testi sono tratti dal libro "Roma Repubblicana: una storia in 40 vite" di Federico Santangelo, edito da Carocci editore nel 2019 👉 https://amzn.eu/d/244ueFU

Autori del podcast: Federico Santangelo e Giuseppe Giardi.
Video e grafiche: Luca Zucchi.

Lascia un like, iscriviti al canale di Storia in Flanella e attiva la campanella per non perdere i prossimi episodi. Se il prodotto ti è piaciuto, condividilo con chi pensi possa apprezzarlo. Grazie di cuore e, fino alla prossima, saluti!

📌 I canali social di Storia in Flanella
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#storia #storiaromana #romaantica #podcast

Capitoli
00:00 Una Restaurazione
02:54 I Metelli
05:30 Metello in Numidia
09:19 La Rottura
12:32 Numidico

The Oldest Republic – Episode 7

1960s. A sunny day, tourists arriving from the Riviera, the towers rising above Mount Titano.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore how San Marino transformed itself in the second half of the 20th century, turning tourism into one of the driving forces of its economy and identity.

After the difficult post-war years, marked by reconstruction, emigration and economic fragility, the Republic began to change. New infrastructures, new roads and new opportunities connected San Marino more closely to the outside world, opening the way to a new phase of growth.

Tourism, together with handicraft and small industries, became central. Hotels multiplied, visitors increased rapidly, and the historic centre turned into a destination for millions. A small mountain state entered the age of mass tourism.

But growth also brought new challenges. Short visits, dependence on the Romagna Riviera and the rise of a “souvenir economy” raised questions about sustainability and identity. San Marino had to decide how to present itself to the world: as a quick stop… or as a place with its own cultural and historical depth.

From international events and sporting visibility to the crisis of the 1990s and the search for a new model, the Republic faced a long transition between tradition and innovation.

In the new millennium, San Marino redefined its tourism strategy, combining commerce, culture and heritage. The recognition of Mount Titano as a UNESCO World Heritage Site marked a new beginning, bringing the Republic once again to the attention of the world.

A small state reinventing itself… through tourism.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #tourism

Welcome to the history of the oldest republic in the world.

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 7: M. Troilo, The Expansion of Tourism.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:50 Rebuilding, restarting and Golden Years
04:45 Tourism, ideas and identity
07:30 Crisis and relaunch
11:24 The New Millennium

Un corpo viene gettato nel Tevere. È Tiberio Gracco. Non ha onori, non ha sepoltura.

È così che la Repubblica tratta un suo cittadino. Ma i Gracchi non sono uomini qualunque.
Sono figli di una delle famiglie più prestigiose di Roma.

E soprattutto, sono figli di Cornelia.

Celebrata come madre esemplare, ammirata per la sua educazione e la sua cultura, ma anche sospettata, discussa, trascinata dentro uno dei conflitti più duri della storia repubblicana.

In questo episodio raccontiamo la sua figura e il ruolo che ebbe nella costruzione della memoria dei Gracchi, tra politica, famiglia e identità romana.

I testi sono tratti dal libro "Roma Repubblicana: una storia in 40 vite" di Federico Santangelo, edito da Carocci editore nel 2019 👉 https://amzn.eu/d/244ueFU

Autori del podcast: Federico Santangelo e Giuseppe Giardi.
Video e grafiche: Luca Zucchi.

Lascia un like, iscriviti al canale di Storia in Flanella e attiva la campanella per non perdere i prossimi episodi. Se il prodotto ti è piaciuto, condividilo con chi pensi possa apprezzarlo. Grazie di cuore e, fino alla prossima, saluti!

📌 I canali social di Storia in Flanella
Spotify:
https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=25d322c4ba784c35
Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/storiainflanella/
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/giuseppe.giardi.7/

#storia #storiaromana #romaantica #podcast #donne

Capitoli
00:00 Una Minaccia per lo Stato
03:05 Educare alla Politica
06:26 Una Madre nella Contesa
10:35 Tale Padre, tale Figlio?
16:04 Memoria e Tradizione

The Oldest Republic – Episode 6

Summer 1944. Bombs fall on a neutral republic.

In this episode of The Oldest Republic, we explore one of the most dramatic chapters in San Marino’s history: the months when the small Republic became a refuge for tens of thousands of civilians fleeing war, destruction and persecution during the Second World War.

As fighting reaches the Gothic Line, waves of displaced people cross the border in search of safety. For a country of fewer than ten thousand inhabitants, the challenge is immense. Homes become shelters, railway tunnels turn into dormitories, and scarce food is shared among all.

Yet even San Marino cannot escape the violence of war. Allied bombing strikes the Republic in June 1944, causing destruction and civilian casualties, while neutrality proves fragile in a world at war.

Amid fear and hardship, San Marino continues to welcome those in need, including refugees escaping racial persecution. In one of Europe’s darkest moments, the Republic chooses solidarity.

A small republic under the bombs… becoming a refuge for thousands.

#SanMarino #History #TheOldestRepublic #war #wwii

Welcome to the history of the oldest republic in the world.

Subscribe to our channels to follow the full series:
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@storiainflanella/featured
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4zuAthwqVO4rRJffD6yzkr?si=3fff127dd1a3495f

This podcast is sponsored by the Department of Foreign Affairs of San Marino, with the support of the San Marino Centre for Historical Studies (University of San Marino).

The texts are based on L. Gorgolini, S. Pivato (eds.), History of San Marino, 2026. This episode is based on chapter 6: P. di Luca, Displacement During the Second World War.

Author: Giuseppe Giardi
Hosts: Carlotta Serra Ciotti and Federica Ghirotti
Video: Luca Zucchi

Chapters
00:00 Introduction
01:30 Bombs on the Mount Titano
05:13 A small state as a shelter
08:02 Shelters of fortune: railway tunnels
10:35 Well-known people, institutions and a return to normality