Acquaviva

Acquaviva sits west of Monte Titano, one of the nine castelli, and takes its name from an important spring at the foot of Monte Cerreto, and legend makes a cave in the Baldasserona cliff nearby the first refuge of Saint Marinus. The village itself is a parish church and a few streets with the mountain rising to the east. The castello holds around two thousand people, which puts it in the middle of the republic's nine.

History

The castello takes its name from a spring at the foot of Monte Cerreto, with whose water, by tradition, Saint Marinus baptised new Christians, and legend makes a cave in the Baldasserona cliff his refuge early in the 4th century. On Monte Cerreto, at the court of Stirvano, the Placito Feretrano was drawn up in 885, the oldest known document of San Marino's independence, and on 19 December 1243 Guido di Cerreto granted the republic rights including tax collection (Wikipedia, Acquaviva, San Marino).

Highlights

• The spring - the water source at the foot of Monte Cerreto that gave the castello its name.
• The Baldasserona cave - the cliff cave that legend makes Saint Marinus's first refuge.
• The path down - the route from the village to the grotta.
• The Titano view - the mountain rising to the east.

When to go

April to October is the mild season and the path is easiest. The spring runs year round. The village festa falls in the summer.

Good to know

The cave is small and the path down is steep and slippery. The village is ordinary and holds little else. Facilities are minimal.

Nearby

Borgo Maggiore is east, and Chiesanuova is south.

Key facts