Sammarinese Cuisine

Sammarinese cuisine is essentially the hearty, delicious cooking of the surrounding Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna and the Marche, adapted to the little republic's hilltop tradition, rich in pasta, cured meats, cheeses and rustic flavours. A staple shared with Romagna is the piadina, the soft, thin flatbread filled with cured ham, cheese and greens. Hearty homemade pastas, such as tagliatelle and filled pasta with rich meat sauces, feature alongside roasted and grilled meats, local cheeses and cured salami. The republic's signature sweet is the torta tre monti, or three towers cake, a layered wafer-and-chocolate confection named for its famous towers.

What you actually see

• Piadina - the soft flatbread with ham, cheese and greens.
• The homemade pasta - the tagliatelle and filled pasta with meat sauce.
• The cured meats and cheeses - the local salami and cheeses.
• Torta tre monti - the layered three towers cake.

When to go

Year-round; trattorias and restaurants in the old town and villages serve the hearty regional cuisine, and the torta tre monti makes a fitting edible souvenir. As in the surrounding Italian regions, meals are generous and best enjoyed slowly, paired with local wines from the republic's own small vineyards.

Honest expectations

Sammarinese food is essentially the excellent cooking of neighbouring Emilia-Romagna and the Marche rather than a wholly distinct cuisine, so its appeal is hearty, delicious Italian regional fare and specialities like the piadina and the torta tre monti rather than culinary novelty; central restaurants can be touristy. Enjoyed at a good trattoria, though, with homemade pasta, cured meats and local wine, and the famous three towers cake to finish, the food is genuinely satisfying and a tasty part of a visit.

Nearby

The old town's trattorias and the surrounding Romagna are the places to eat.