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    Norway: Sunnylvsfjord. Go Now!

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    Vatican City: Vatican Museums. Go Now!

    Vatican City
    The smallest country in the world offers the heart of Catholicism and among the world's finest art collections, including the Sistine Chapel and the Raphael Rooms (ceiling pictured). Go to Vatican City!

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    Macedonia: Traditional architecture. Go Now!

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    Macedonia is a country still finding its unique identity, but its architecture is already one of a kind. Explore Macedonia!

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    Austria: Belvedere Palace. Go Now!

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    Belvedere Palace (pictured) is just one of many palaces found in Vienna. The capital is a good start to Austria, which also features the Alps, the Lakes District, and incredible history & food. Go Now!

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    Spain: Guell Park and Gaudi architecture. Go Now!

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    Fusion foods, lively music, historic ruins, and cultural events like the Running of the Bulls and La Tomatina make Spain and Barcelona (pictured) a favorite tourist destination. Explore Spain!

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    Ukraine: Traditional Village. Go Now!

    Ukraine
    Ukrainian culture is based on village life, particularly that found in the Carpathian Mountains (pictured). Begin Your Journey!

Culture & Identity of San Marino

Introduction

The Sammarinese, like the Italians, work to live and the daily way of life truly revolves around enjoying life. However, work, school, family, friends, and religion are also important to the people to varying degrees and each occupies a different role in each individual's life.

The way of life in San Marino begins with free time as the people tend to enjoy their evenings, weekends (Saturday-Sunday), and vacations; times they generally spend with family and friends in the home, out in the town, or abroad, often times relaxing. These recreational times are often spent with family and friends in some sort of social setting, whether that is in the home, out for dinner, or even in church on Sundays.

To have this relaxed lifestyle, the Sammarinese work, primarily in the services industries. For most people the day offers fairly regular working hours, which tend to begin at about 8:30 am and end at about 7:00 pm. However, many people take a long lunch midday at home. However, for those people working in restaurants, bars, and similar industries, the hours are vastly different as most restaurants only open at about 3:00 pm and many Sammarinese eat late into the evening. Like most jobs, schools have regular hours and a summer vacation from about late June to early September.

Hours seem relaxed, working late is rare, and time is often of little importance in San Marino. Life, family, friends, and for many religion always come first, then perhaps comes food and wine, and lastly is work and everything else.

Identity

Although there are Italians in San Marino, who identify as Italians, the citizens of San Marino itself almost always identify as being Sammarinese. This is identity is almost wholly defined by their citizenship, as these people are nearly identical to their neighboring Italians in numerous ways. The similarities between the Italians and Sammarinese are numerous, including religion (Catholicism), language (Italian), foods, and many aspects of their culture. Despite these similarities, there are also many minor differences and these, along with the country's long standing independence, give the Sammarinese a unique identity. Partially in order to protect this Sammarinese identity, there are very strict laws in place to prevent immigrants from becoming citizens in the country.

This page was last updated: November, 2013