In 2012, a heritage railway, using a restored locomotive and a reactivated section of the Rimini–San Marino railway, opened in the City of San Marino.

The Republic of San Marino's public transport network consists of a local bus network and the Funivia di San Marino, an aerial cablecar system between Borgo Maggiore and the City of San Marino. Both means are operated by the Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici, the Sammarinese state company for public transport.[1][2]

Using the country's main road, the San Marino Highway, and its Italian continuation, the SS72 state road, coach companies offer several daily connections to Rimini, the closest Italian city.[3] The country has no navigable waterways and no international airport, though it has signed several bilateral agreements with the Italian government concerning Federico Fellini International Airport, in Rimini's frazione of Miramare.[4][5][6] A small general aviation aerodrome in the country's east, Torraccia Airfield, is owned and operated by Aeroclub San Marino,[7][8][9] a flying club with approximately 100 members.[10]

San Marino's railway connection to Rimini was closed and dismantled after the Second World War,[11][12] and a helicopter service connecting Borgo Maggiore to Rimini and San Leo closed in 1969.[13][14]

Road

The main road is the San Marino Highway, a dual carriageway which runs between Borgo Maggiore and Dogana through Domagnano and Serravalle. After crossing the international border at Dogana, the highway continues through Italy as the SS72 state road, touching the international border at Rovereta. It serves Cerasolo, a frazione of Coriano, and the Rimini Sud exit of the A14 tolled highway, before terminating at the crossroads with the SS16 state road.[15]

Several taxi companies operate in San Marino.[16]

Aerial cablecar system

A cablecar overlooks Borgo Maggiore in May 2019.

The Funivia di San Marino is an aerial cablecar system connecting a lower terminus in Borgo Maggiore to an upper terminus in the City of San Marino.[17] Running every fifteen minutes, the two-minute ride is renowned for its paronamic views over San Marino, the Province of Rimini, and the Adriatic Sea.[17][18] The cablecar system is a major tourist attraction, and considered a defining symbol of San Marino.[17][18][19][20][21][22]

The cablecar system transports 500,000 passengers yearly across approximately 21,000 trips.[1][23] It was inaugurated on 1 August 1959.[23][24][25][26] In 1995 and 1996, it was modernised with double load-bearing cables built by Doppelmayr Italia,[27][24] and further renovated in spring 2017.[22][24]

Buses and coaches

As of December 2023, the Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici, the Sammarinese state company for public transport, operates eight bus routes entirely within San Marino. All but one line starts in the City of San Marino, with several lines serving Borgo Maggiore, Domagnano, Serravalle, Dogana, and San Marino Hospital.[2]

Bus routes in San Marino[2]
Line Start Via End
1 City of San Marino Casole, Fiorentino Chiesanuova
2 City of San Marino Borgo Maggiore, Ventoso, Gualducciolo Molarini
3 City of San Marino Borgo Maggiore, Faetano, Montegiardino, Fiorentino, Borgo Maggiore City of San Marino
4 City of San Marino Murata, Borgo Maggiore, Domagnano, Serravalle, Dogana, Galazzano Strada La Ciarulla
5 City of San Marino Santa Mustiola Borgo Maggiore
6 City of San Marino Valdragone, Domagnano, Torraccia San Marino Hospital
7 City of San Marino Murata, Borgo Maggiore, Cailungo, Serravalle, Dogana, Falciano Rovereta
8 San Marino Hospital Serravalle, Cà Ragni, Dogana, Falciano, Rovereta, Cinque Vie, Dogana, Lesignano, Fiorina, Serravalle San Marino Hospital

START Romagna SpA operates several routes near San Marino's borders, but not within Sammarinese territory:

  • Route 7 terminates near the border at Rovereta, and runs to Rimini's port via the SS72 state road, Cerasolo, a frazione of Coriano, and Rimini's city centre.[28]
  • Route 16 runs between the border at Dogana and the village of Santa Cristina.[29]
  • Route 160 serves Torello, across the border from Gualdicciolo, and runs between Rimini (through Verucchio) and Novafeltria.[30]
Sammarinese international bus service link with Rimini, Italy

Rimini and San Marino are connected by the coach companies Bonelli and Benedettini, which provide several services per day throughout the year.[3] In the City of San Marino, the coaches depart from the central bus stop in Piazzale Marino Calcigni,[3][31] then stop in Borgo Maggiore, Domagnano, Serravalle, Dogana, and Cerasolo, before reaching Rimini's Arch of Augustus and railway station.[3] The coaches complete the route in approximately fifty minutes.[3]

Aviation

International airports

San Marino has no international airport on its territory. The closest international airport to San Marino is Federico Fellini International Airport, in Rimini's frazione of Miramare; other airports near San Marino are Luigi Ridolfi Airport in Forlì, Raffaello Sanzio Airport in Ancona, and Guglielmo Marconi Airport in Bologna.

San Marino first expressed an interest in entering the management of Fellini Airport in the early 1980s.[4] Since then, the governments of San Marino and Italy have signed several bilateral agreements concerning San Marino's access to the airport.[4][5][6] As a result of these accords, all air carriers recognised by San Marino have been able to fly to Fellini Airport,[4] the Sammarinese government has been able to decide commercial routes,[32][33] Sammarinese companies have been able to operate in Italian airports without restrictions,[4] and the Sammarinese government has been able to carry out customs operations at Fellini Airport in agreement with the Italian authorities.[6]

The terminal of Fellini Airport in March 2018, since its repainting

In 2002, the Sammarinese government acquired a 3% stake in Fellini Airport's management company, Aeradria.[34] The airport was officially named Rimini-San Marino Airport.[33] In June 2018, the subsequent management company, Airiminum, repainted the terminal sign to read Aeroporto Internazionale di Rimini e San Marino (Rimini and San Marino International Airport), replacing the previous Aeroporto Internazionale Federico Fellini (Federico Fellini International Airport).[35]

The most significant agreement, ratified on 16 September 2013, provided San Marino a forty-year concession over some areas of Fellini Airport.[5][36][37] The areas were expected to host a private terminal, with a customs border allowing goods destined for San Marino not to pass through Italian customs.[37] As of August 2023, Sammarinese authorities still have no presence at the airport.[36]

Torraccia Airfield

Torraccia Airfield in November 2006

Torraccia Airfield is San Marino's only aviation facility on its territory. It is a small general aviation aerodrome in Torraccia, a village east of the castello of Domagnano, less than 200 metres (660 feet) from the Italian border.[7] Torraccia's only grass runway was first used in 1981, but the airfield's structure was opened in 1985.[8][10] In July 2012, the runway was extended to 650 metres (2,130 feet).[7]

The airfield is owned and operated by Aeroclub San Marino,[7][8][9] a flying club with approximately 100 members.[10] In the summer, between ten and fifteen planes typically land at the airfield per day.[8][38] The airfield hosts a flight school, recreational flights and sports, and some tourist flights in small aircraft.[7][9][10]

Borgo Maggiore heliport

On 3 September 1950, a heliport next to Borgo Maggiore's cablecar terminus inaugurated its maiden postal flight from Trieste, followed by a second postal flight to Riccione for the International Stamp Fair the following day. On 16 October 1958, the heliport welcomed a helicopter bringing the polio vaccine from Aviano Air Base.[26]

On 24 July 1959, a statue of Our Lady of Fátima was flown to Borgo Maggiore aboard a helicopter from Forlì; the statue was used for the aerial cablecar's maiden journey.[26] On 30 June 1959, a helicopter line running between the Borgo Maggiore heliport and a heliport by Rimini's port was inaugurated.[13][14][26] Operated by Compagnia Italiana Elicotteri, the service ran several times per day,[13][14] using a fleet of four-seater Bell 47J Rangers and a three-seater Agusta-Bell AB-47G,[13][14][26] which were serviced at Rimini's airport.[14] In 1964, the line was extended to San Leo.[13][14] Tickets would cost up to 12,500 lire,[13] including the cablecar to the City of San Marino and a shuttle to the Leonine fortress. The service would take fifteen minutes to reach Rimini and ten minutes to reach San Leo. The service closed in 1969,[13][14] and the heliport has been replaced by a parking lot.[39][40]

Railway

A train passes Valdragone, looking towards Monte Titano.

Between 1932 and 1944, a 31.5-kilometre (19.6-mile) electrified narrow gauge railway operated between Rimini and the City of San Marino, serving Dogana, Serravalle, Domagnano, and Borgo Maggiore along its route.[41] During the Second World War, the line was bombed and closed,[41][42] after which its tunnels sheltered refugees during the Battles of Rimini and San Marino.[43][11] After the war, the railway was abandoned in favour of the San Marino Highway and Funivia di San Marino.[11][12]

In 2012, an 800-metre (1⁄2-mile) section was reopened as a heritage railway in the City of San Marino, running between Piazzale della Stazione and near Via Napoleone.[44] The restored section comprises the original railway's final horseshoe turn through the 502-metre (1,647-foot) Montale tunnel.[45][46]

Despite its short operational history, the Rimini–San Marino railway retains an important place in Sammarinese culture and history,[12] and has featured on Sammarinese postal stamps.[47][48][49][50] Both the Sammarinese and Italian governments have expressed interest in reopening the line.[44][51][52][53][54]

Between 1921 and 1960, San Marino was also served by a station on the Rimini–Novafeltria railway in Torello, on the other side of the international border from Gualdicciolo in San Marino's west.[55] This provided San Marino its first railway station, albeit located in Italian territory.[56][57]

References

  1. 1 2 Fabbri, Monica (26 May 2021). ""La funivia sammarinese è sicura", garantisce AASS. Ecco le differenze con l'impianto di Mottarone" ["The San Marino cablecar is safe", guarantees AASS: here are the differences with the Mottarone plant]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 "Orari autobus di linea" [Bus timetables]. Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Bus to San Marino Republic". riminiturismo.it. 17 July 2023. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Pari, Mario (5 September 2018). "Aeroporto: la Repubblica di San Marino non mette le ali" [Airport: The Republic of San Marino does not spread its wings]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 "Firmato l'accordo di assegnazione aree del Fellini" [Fellini area assignment agreement signed]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 16 September 2013. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  6. 1 2 3 "San Marino atterra al Fellini. Ora via ai voli del Titano" [San Marino lands at Fellini: Now the Titan flights have a green light]. RiminiToday (in Italian). 3 January 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Torraccia". forgottenairfields.com. 20 August 2017. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Bollini, Marco (5 July 2015). "San Marino avrà un aeroporto?" [Will San Marino have an airport?]. giornalesm.com (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  9. 1 2 3 "Eliporto Torraccia - Aeroclub San Marino | Rimini turismo" [Torraccia heliport - Aeroclub San Marino]. riminiturismo.it (in Italian). 13 October 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "Chi Siamo" [Who we are]. Aeroclub San Marino (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 "12 giugno 1932 - Viene inaugurata la ferrovia Rimini - San Marino" [12 June 1932: The Rimini–San Marino railway was opened]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 12 June 2023. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  12. 1 2 3 Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in Italian). 29 (1): 1–4.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "30 giugno 1961 - Inaugurata la linea di elicotteri Rimini - San Marino - San Leo" [30 June 1961 – The Rimini – San Marino – San Leo helicopter line is inaugurated]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 29 June 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Gambetti, Nicola (5 August 2023). "Rimini - San Marino - San Leo in elicottero" [Rimini – San Marino – San Leo by helicopter]. Rimini Sparita (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  15. ↑ Santini, Simone (1 September 2017). "Rimini-San Marino, ma che Consolare è?" [But what kind of consular road is the Rimini-San Marino?]. Il Ponte (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  16. ↑ "Taxi". sanmarinopertutti.com (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  17. 1 2 3 "Ropeway – San Marino Cable Car". San Marino Site. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  18. 1 2 "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. Doppelmayr Group (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  19. ↑ Pelliccioni, Silvia (30 March 2015). ""Simbolo della Repubblica": vecchia cabina funivia nella rotatoria della Sottomontana" ["Symbol of the Republic": Old cablecar in the Sottomontana roundabout]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  20. ↑ "San Marino, esercitazione di recupero passeggeri dalla funivia" [San Marino: Passenger recovery exercise from the cablecar]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 24 June 2019. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  21. ↑ "Anche San Marino ha la sua versione del Monopoly" [Even San Marino has its version of Monopoly]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 9 August 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  22. 1 2 "San Marino. Inaugurata la funivia di Borgo Maggiore" [San Marino: the Borgo Maggiore cablecar system is inaugurated]. libertas.sm (in Italian). 15 April 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  23. 1 2 Simoncini, Myriam (1 August 2009). "50 anni e non li dimostra" [50 years and it doesn't show it]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  24. 1 2 3 "La Funivia" [The Cablecar System]. Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici. 13 September 2018. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  25. ↑ "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. romagna.net (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  26. 1 2 3 4 5 "La storia del servizio elicottero a San Marino, legato alla crescita del turismo di massa" [The history of the helicopter service in San Marino, linked to the growth of mass tourism]. www.titanpostsm.com (in Italian). 5 April 2020. Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  27. ↑ "Funivia di San Marino" [San Marino Cablecar System]. Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  28. ↑ "Linea 7". Start Romagna SpA (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  29. ↑ "Linea 16". Start Romagna SpA (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  30. ↑ "Linea 160". Start Romagna SpA (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  31. ↑ "Pianta della Città di San Marino" [Map of the City of San Marino] (PDF). San Marino Site (in Italian). Retrieved 31 December 2023.
  32. ↑ "L'aeroporto di Rimini apre le porte al mondo: Il Titano mette le ali" [Rimini Airport opens its doors to the world: The Titan gives wings]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 1 April 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  33. 1 2 Russo, Carlo (24 November 2000). "Rimini, scalo di stato: San Marino ha un suo aeroporto" [Rimini, state airport: San Marino has its own airport]. Italia Oggi. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  34. ↑ Rtv, San Marino (12 February 2004). "Aeroporto di Rimini: dalla guerra all'ingresso di San Marino" [Rimini Airport: From the war to San Marino's entry]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  35. ↑ "Il nuovo look dell'aeroporto: "San Marino" ha preso il posto di "Federico Fellini"" [The new look of the airport: "San Marino" has taken the place of "Federico Fellini"]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). 3 March 2018. Retrieved 1 January 2014.
  36. 1 2 "Aeroporto Fellini, sullo scalo internazionale incontro a Roma a settembre" [Fellini Airport: On the international airport meeting in Rome in September]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 12 August 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  37. 1 2 Mincuzzi, Angelo; Oddo, Giuseppe (24 April 2014). "Una misteriosa cordata estera per l'aeroporto di Rimini-San Marino" [A mysterious foreign consortium for the Rimini-San Marino airport]. Il Sole 24 Ore (in Italian). Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  38. ↑ "Torraccia: da aerodromo ad aeroporto" [Torraccia: From aerodrome to airport]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 3 July 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  39. ↑ "Borgo Maggiore: concerto della banda "Queen Victoria" per rinnovare il gemellaggio con Zurrieq" [Borgo Maggiore: Concert by the "Queen Victoria" band to renew the twinning with Zurrieq]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 30 August 2015. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  40. ↑ "Ordinanza n.189/2023" (PDF). State Secretariat for Internal Affairs. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
  41. 1 2 Macina, Chiara (14 September 2015). "Il Trenino Biancazzurro: la breve vita e la fine" [The Blue and White Train: Its short life and end]. Zoomma (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  42. ↑ Giardi, Davide (28 February 2013). "Breve storia della Ferrovia" [Brief history of the railway]. libertas (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  43. ↑ Pagammo, Lussi (20 April 2019). "Il glorioso trenino bianco-azzurro riparte dall'elettromotrice 'AB-03' per unire Rimini a San Marino" [The glorious white-blue train restarts from the 'AB-03' electromotive to connect Rimini to San Marino]. Riminiduepuntozero (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  44. 1 2 Scolari, Giancarlo (21 June 2012). "Torna il treno a San Marino" [The train returns to San Marino]. Ferrovie.it (in Italian). Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  45. ↑ Vilmos, Oszter (12 August 2012). "Kis ország, kis( )vasút" [Small country, small railway]. Indóház Online (in Hungarian). Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  46. ↑ "Galleria 'Montale': ex-ferrovia Rimini-San Marino" ['Montale' Tunnel: Rimini-San Marino ex-railway]. sdaprogetti.it (in Italian). Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  47. ↑ "Decreto Delegato 14 febbraio 2018 n.16" [Delegated decree 14 February 2018 number 16]. Grand and General Council (in Italian). 14 February 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2023.
  48. ↑ Macina, Chiara (14 September 2015). "Il Trenino Biancazzurro: le caratteristiche" [The White-Blue Train: Characteristics]. Zoomma (in Italian). Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  49. ↑ Piccioni, Elisabetta (April 2011). "Il Viaggio Interrotto: La Ferrovia Elettrica Rimini–San Marino" [The Interrupted Journey: The Rimini–San Marino Electric Railway]. I Martedì (in Italian). Bologna: Centro San Domenico (292): 18–22.
  50. ↑ Bosi, Giovanni (24 May 2012). "Rimini - San Marino, la (ex) ferrovia rimasta nel cuore" [Rimini-San Marino: The (ex-)railway that has remained in the heart]. www.turismoitalianews.it (in Italian). Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  51. ↑ "...e corre, corre, corre la locomotiva" [...And the locomotive runs, runs, runs.]. San Marino Fixing (in Italian). 17 October 2023. Retrieved 3 November 2023.
  52. ↑ "'La Ferrovia Elettrica San Marino-Rimini', il libro che celebra i 90 anni del Treno Bianco Azzurro, presentato alla Reggenza" ["The San Marino-Rimini Electric Railway", the book celebrating the 90 years of the White and Blue Train, is presented to the Regency]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). 28 December 2022. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  53. ↑ Barducci, Giacomo (2 September 2022). "San Marino: torna il Treno Bianco Azzurro" [San Marino: The White and Blue Train returns]. San Marino RTV (in Italian). Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  54. ↑ "L'idea: ripristinare la ferrovia tra Rimini e San Marino" [The idea: Restore the railway between Rimini and San Marino]. Il Resto del Carlino (in Italian). 28 June 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  55. ↑ "18 giugno 1922 - Completata la ferrovia Rimini - Novafeltria" [18 June 1922: The Rimini-Novafeltria railway is completed]. Chiamami Città (in Italian). 17 June 2023. Retrieved 23 November 2023.
  56. ↑ Giuliani-Balestrino, Maria Clotilde (2005). "La superstrada Rimini-San Marino" [The Rimini-San Marino railway] (PDF). Studi e Ricerche di Geografia (in Italian). 29 (1): 1–4.
  57. ↑ "Ferrovia Rimini Centrale-Novafeltria" [Rimini Centrale-Novafeltria railway]. www.ferrovieabbandonate.it. Retrieved 10 December 2023.

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