Did you get to San Marino? What did you think? I'm going there in July so any info would be helpful.

Since you'll be in Rome, don't miss visiting the world's smallest country, the Sovereign Military Order of Malta. You can visit the church and peer through a gate keyhole for a fabulous view of St. Peter's, if I remember correctly.

I did get to San Marino but only to the hilltop city of San Marino, none of the other towns or villages or whatever they are considered. They place was cute but sterile with tons of souvenir shops. Since I was there in terrible weather I got to talk at length with a nice shop girl and they count mainly on tourist buses for their livelihood. Food was good, not great. Seemed just like being in Italy!

Whether the SMOM is a country is quite debatable but my personal opinion is that since it is not listed on any major list of countries, it is not. And being self-declared to be sovereign does not imply statehood. Most definitions of being a real state or country are that the entity must control territory and a lot in another city doesn't really qualify.