Fortress of Guaita, San Marino.
By Max_Ryazanov, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia.

Perched on Mount Titano and surrounded on all sides by the country of Italy, San Marino, is a small republic with a big history. The San Marino historic center and Mount Titano gained UNESCO World Heritage Status in 2008. As one of the oldest continuing republics in the world and the only surviving intact Italian city-state, its historic contributions to the development of democracy have been profound.

Dr. Paolo Rondelli was born in San Marino and attended the Italian University of Bologna where he received degrees in Chemical Engineer, Environmental Science, Historical Science, and Humanities, as well as a Ph.D. in Historical Communication. Dr. Rondelii served as San Marino’s Ambassador to the United States between 2007 and 2016. Since October 2016 he has served and continues to serve as Ambassador and Permanent Delegate for San Marino to UNESCO.

Dr. Rondelli worked on the initial UNESCO nomination for the site of San Marino and shares with us the unique history of this important city-state.