The smallest and newest tower of the Three Towers of San Marino, Montale is inaccessible to the public but served as a watchtower and prison. Built in the fourteenth century and originally integrated within the city walls it now stands alone but still commands amazing views.
Visiting Montale Tower
Montale Tower is on a rocky ridge that is now surrounded by trees, as can be seen by the satellite view above. If you are staying in San Marino it is less than 10 minutes walk from Tower 2, Cesta, or about the same from the Tourist Train start point.
Driving is somewhat limited in San Marino so for day visitors I would recommend either arriving early or just parking in Piazzale Campo della Fiera and then taking the cable car which arrives to the NW of the basilica on the view above.
The tower is free to view from the outside and the path is easy walking, no specialised footwear required.
My Experience
Our visit to San Marino was the culmination of a 12 day road trip through Slovenia, Croatia and Italy detailed in my blog here. We spent two nights in the city and visited all three of the towers.
The third tower involved a forest walk so Deb turned back and I walked on my own. The path was excellent and had lights for evening use and it was beautifully shaded. The Montale Tower dates from the 13th century and can’t be accessed as it was largely used as a prison and the door is about 7m above the ground! This tower is quite isolated as the city walls surrounding it have been reused as a quarry for local housing! From here the forest path continued down the hill and onto the main roads where I was able to walk back to our hotel.
Montale Tower Photo Gallery
History
The towers perched on the top of the three peaks of Monte Titano are the symbol of the small country of San Marino, but while the first and second are famous tourist attractions, the third is hardly visited.
The third tower, known as Montale, is the smallest and most recent of the three fortifications. It was constructed during the 14th-century after some earlier structures were renovated. In 1320, it was connected to the other two towers by a wall. The fort was initially used as a watchtower during the wars against the Malatesta family that ruled the surrounding area. A bell inside the tower was used to indicate to the population that a threat was imminent.
The tower was also used as a prison with the only entrance being a few feet from the ground, making it impossible to access this area of the interior from ground level. After the destruction of the Malatestian fort of Fiorentino in 1479, the Montale was abandoned. It was subsequently restored in 1743, 1817, and 1935. Currently, the interior of the tower cannot be accessed by the public, but the view that can be enjoyed from the peak is worth the trek to the base of the tower.
References
The brief history above is taken from the Atlas Obscura site here.
The San Marino tourist site here has information on all three towers.