The story of San Marino’s cable car — from the earliest ideas behind it to its inauguration in 1959, through to the various upgrades that have marked its evolution over the years — is the focus of a roughly 12-minute documentary produced by MAG., the multimedia magazine of the University of the Republic of San Marino.
The project involved five students from the San Marino university, who took part in the various stages of production. The video retraces the decisions that led to the construction of the cable car, the difficulties encountered along the way and the solutions that were adopted, while also exploring the role the installation has played in the history of Mount Titano.
The narrative is accompanied by historical footage preserved by the Multimedia Archive of San Marino Memories (Archivio Multimediale delle Memorie Sammarinesi), an institution that, like the magazine, is part of the university. The feature is presented by Davide Mignani, a student in the bachelor’s degree programme in Communication and Digital Media.
The production was made possible thanks to the collaboration of the State Authority for Public Services (Azienda Autonoma di Stato per i Servizi Pubblici). The documentary was directed by Francesco Ceccoli, while Giulia Ciasca, a student on the master’s programme in Interaction & Experience Design, handled the on-set photography. Drone footage was captured by Francesco Borghesi, a Civil Engineering student. With the help of other students and university staff, a scaled three-dimensional model of the cable car cabins was also built and used during filming.
“With this piece we are building on a broad series of portraits and in-depth features dedicated to the university community and the Titano’s wider territory,” explains Jeffrey Zani, director of the multimedia magazine. “We were founded in 2021 to involve students in projects where they engage with the key dynamics of journalism and documentary-making, nurturing critical thinking, a passion for research, curiosity and storytelling skills. In doing so, we aim to bring compelling, contemporary stories to our audience while developing the talents of our students.”
The documentary, titled “Why does San Marino have a cable car? History, curiosities and behind-the-scenes of the installation,” is available on the YouTube channel mag.university, on the university magazine’s website, and on the Instagram profile @mag.university.
