The
Most Serene Republic of San Marino 
/ˌsæn məˈriːnoʊ/ (help·info) (
Italian:
Serenissima Repubblica di San Marino) is a country situated in the
Apennine Mountains. It is a
landlocked enclave, completely surrounded by
Italy. Its size is just over 60 km² with an estimated population of almost 30,000. Its capital is the
City of San Marino. One of the
European microstates along with
Liechtenstein, the
Vatican,
Monaco,
Andorra, and
Malta, San Marino has the smallest population of all the members of the
Council of Europe.
San Marino is the oldest recorded sovereign state and constitutional
republic in the world, having been founded on 3 September C.E. 301 by stonecutter
Marinus of
Rab. Legend has it that Marinus left Rab, then a Roman colony, in 257 when the future emperor,
Diocletian, issued a decree calling for the reconstruction of the city walls of
Rimini, which had been destroyed by
Liburnian pirates.
[1]
The
constitution of San Marino, enacted in 1600, is the world's oldest constitution still in effect.
History
The club was founded as
Società Sportiva Serenissima in 1960 by the
San Marino Football Federation,
[1] in order to have a professional team represent the
Republic of San Marino in the
Italian league. The club was later purchased by Sanmarinese and Italian
entrepreneurs.
[1]
The foundation year is sometimes disputed, because the previous season another team with the same goal, called
Libertas-
Tre Penne (also sponsored by the San Marino Football Federation), took part to the Italian championship. The crest of
Tre Penne is still visible on San Marino Calcio's one.
[1]
San Marino Calcio is the only professional football team in the
Republic of San Marino allowed to play exclusively in the
Italian football league system. Since the
San Marino Football League is completely amateur, the club is also the only professional team in the Republic.
[1] Another team from San Marino,
A.C. Juvenes/Dogana, competed in both the amateur levels of Italian football and in the Sanmarinese league in the past, but has since retired from the
FIGC.
Colours and badge
The club's home
kit consists of a light blue shirt with white and black inserts, black shorts, and black socks.
[7] Their away kit consists of a white shirt with dark blue inserts, white shorts, and black socks.
[7] San Marino Calcio released a third kit for merchandising, which consists of a red shirt with dark blue inserts, red shorts, and red socks.
[7]
The golden frame of their badge contains the team name and the phrase "
Titanus aggressurus Olympum", which refers to the
Titans in
Greek mythology. Pictured in the center of the badge is a Titan. In Italian, the word "
Titan" signifies both the race of mythological gods and
Monte Titano, the highest point in San Marino. The left-hand circle represents the badge of
Tre Penne, one of San Marino Calcio's two founding teams, and the right-hand circle represents the old San Marino Calcio badge.