Established in the year 301, the sole remaining Italian city state is also the world’s oldest surviving republic. While the three historic towers that adorn the San Marino flag are now largely ornamental, they still keep watch over the mountainous countryside. For views that stretch from border to border, climb to the picturesque Rocca Guaita, an 11th-century tower that fortifies an already-forbidding summit – over the centuries it’s helped fend off invaders, housed the national guard and even served as a prison.