'A freak of freedom:' British travellers to the Republic of San Marino

Abstract

My paper will deal with some aspects of the centuries-long interest of British travellers in the tiny Republic of San Marino, which was perceived as an enclave of freedom, proudly surviving from the Middle Ages in spite of the political turmoil that had involved the surrounding Italian regions. The 'myth' of San Marino took on different nuances according to the varying perspectives of travellers, as well as to the historical changes affecting Italy. It is my contention that both in the 18th and in the 19th centuries British travellers idealized San Marino - projecting their own political visions on this territory (sometimes to the detriment of truth) and contrasting it with the rest of Italy. Thus, San Marino became the reverse side of the Italian coin - a political paradigm that could be employed to assert the traveller's beliefs and to criticize the decline of the peninsula.