Panorama of the Cesta Tower in San Marino

The Three Towers of San Marino are a group of towers located in

San Marino San Marino (, ), officially the Republic of San Marino ( it, Repubblica di San Marino; ), also known as the Most Serene Republic of San Marino ( it, Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino, links=no), is the fifth-smallest country in the world an ...

. Located on the three peaks of

Monte Titano Monte Titano ("Mount Titan") is a mountain of the Apennines and the highest peak in San Marino. It stands above sea level and is located immediately to the east of the capital, San Marino. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008 ...

in the capital, also called

, they are depicted on both the

national flag A national flag is a flag that represents and symbolizes a given nation. It is flown by the government of that nation, but usually can also be flown by its citizens. A national flag is typically designed with specific meanings for its colours ...

and

coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldry, heraldic communication design, visual design on an escutcheon (heraldry), escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central ele ...

First Tower

The

Guaita Guaita is one of three towered peaks overlooking the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are Cesta and Montale. Fortress of Guaita The Guaita fortress is the oldest of the three towers constructed on Monte Titano, and ...

is the oldest of the three towers, and the most famous. It was constructed in the 11th century and served briefly as a prison. It was rebuilt numerous times and reached its current form in the 15th century during the war fought between San Marino and the

House of Malatesta ) , type= Noble house , country=ItalySan Marino, estates= Castel Sismondo (Rimini) Rocca Malatestiana (Cesena) , titles=, founded=, founder=Malatesta da Verucchio, final ruler=Pandolfo IV Malatesta, deposition=, dissolution= The House of Malatesta ...

Second Tower

The

Cesta De La Fratta, also known as Cesta, is one of three towered peaks overlooking the city of San Marino, the capital of San Marino. The other two are Guaita and Montale. Overview The tower is located on the highest of Monte Titano's summits. A ...

is located on the highest of Monte Titano's summits. A museum to honour

Saint Marinus Saint Marinus (; it, San Marino) was an Early Christian and the founder of a chapel and monastery in 301 from whose initial community the state of San Marino later grew. Life Tradition holds that he was a stonemason by trade who came from the ...

, created in 1956, is located in this tower and showcases over 1,550 weapons dating from the Medieval Era to the modern day. It was constructed in the 13th century on the remains of an older Roman fort.

Third Tower

The

Montale Montale is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Pistoia in the Italian region Tuscany, located about northwest of Florence and about east of Pistoia. Montale borders the following municipalities: Agliana, Cantagallo, Montemurlo, Pis ...

is located on the smallest of Monte Titano's summits. Unlike the other towers, this one is not open to the public. It was constructed in the 14th century. It is thought to have been constructed to give protection against the increasing power of the

Malatesta Malatesta may refer to: People Given name * Malatesta (I) da Verucchio (1212–1312), founder of the powerful Italian Malatesta family and a famous condottiero * Malatesta IV Baglioni (1491–1531), Italian condottiero and lord of Perugia, Bettona, ...

family in that region. It was also used as a prison, and accordingly, the only entrance to the tower is a door about seven metres from ground level, which was common for prison architecture of the time.

References

Towers in San Marino Buildings and structures in the City of San Marino {{SanMarino-stub