The best period to visit the country, abundant in wonderful San Marino property, is April to June. The weather is sunny without being stifling, the countryside bursts with spring flowers, and the flood of summer tourism, largely dictated by school holidays, has yet to crash over the peninsula. Most Italians hit the road in July and August, so those two months - in which prices soar, tempers flare and the country broils - are best avoided.

If you're looking for something a little extra while you're there, you might want to coincide your visit with the 'Medieval Days with Antique Crossbow Competition', because, really, what's a castle and three fortresses without a crossbow or two. Failing that you could wait till 3 September when the San Marinese brush off the crossbows again to celebrate National Independence Day.