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Article: On A Small Scale; Two nations within Italy but neither in nor of it; San Marino
- Article from:
- The Washington Post
- Article date:
- June 19, 1988
- Author:
CopyrightThis material is published under license from the Washington Post. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Washington Post. (Hide copyright information)
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One moment you are driving through the small villages and wheat
fields of the Italian Marches, then suddenly there is a large white
sign: "Dogana" (customs). Except for the sign, the border would go
unnoticed; even the policeman on guard lounges at the side of the
road as the cars roll by.
San Marino makes much of its status as a sovereign nation, but in
fact everything except its legal status is Italian: the look, the
language, the cuisine and the culture. Only the Dogana signs on the
roads leading in from all directions warn visitors that they have
left Italy behind.
As sovereign states go, few are as minuscule as the independent
Republic of San Marino, which clings to the rocky slopes ...