The long-awaited day has arrived. Today, Saturday 22 August, Pope Leo XIV is visiting the Republic of San Marino, bringing a pontiff back to the Titano fifteen years after the historic day of 19 June 2011 with Benedict XVI. A morning that will blend institutional and pastoral dimensions, with thousands of people expected along the route and in the historic centre. Leo XIV will be the third pope to visit San Marino. (San Marino Rtv)
The visit will begin very early. At 8am the Holy Father will take off from the Vatican heliport, with landing at the Torraccia airfield scheduled for 9am. He will be welcomed by the Captains Regent Alice Mina and Vladimiro Selva, together with San Marino authorities and the Bishop of San Marino-Montefeltro, Domenico Beneventi. (Vatican)
From Torraccia the transfer to the historic centre will then begin. It will not be a simple car journey: the route has been organised to allow citizens and faithful to see and greet the Pontiff even without a pass. The procession will pass through Domagnano and Borgo Maggiore before climbing up to San Marino City, with slowdowns and brief stops along the way. (Esteri)
The route and where to see the pope without a pass
To watch Leo XIV pass by, it will not be necessary to be inside the two reserved areas. Free access is available at the Torraccia airfield by 8am, in Piazza Filippo da Sterpeto in Domagnano and at the Portici di Borgo Maggiore by 8.15am. In San Marino City, meanwhile, people will be able to position themselves by 8.30am at Piazzale Lo Stradone, Viale Onofri, Via Donna Felicissima and under the porticoes of Piazza Garibaldi. (Esteri)
The Pope will enter the upper part of the Republic through Porta del Paese and will travel along Viale Antonio Onofri to Piazzetta Garibaldi, where he will get out of the car to walk the final stretch to Piazza della Libertà and Palazzo Pubblico. (Esteri)
Military ceremonial honours will also accompany the arrival. Around 9.40am, 21 cannon salutes are planned, while San Marino’s Military Corps will be lined up in Piazza della Libertà. (San Marino Rtv)
The meetings at Palazzo Pubblico
With the arrival in Piazza della Libertà, the institutional part of the visit will begin in earnest. Military honours are planned along with the playing of the Pontifical Anthem and the San Marino national anthem, before the Pontiff enters Palazzo Pubblico together with the Captains Regent. (Vatican)
In the Atrium, members of the State Congress will be introduced to Leo XIV, after which the Pontiff and the Captains Regent will move to the Hall of the Council of Twelve (Sala del Consiglio dei XII) for a private meeting and the signing of the Distinguished Guests’ Book. At the same time, a meeting is scheduled between the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs Luca Beccari, Cardinal Pietro Parolin and Monsignor Paul Richard Gallagher. (San Marino Rtv)
Next will come the official audience in the Hall of the Grand and General Council (Consiglio Grande e Generale). Here, addresses by the Captains Regent and Pope Leo XIV are planned, along with an exchange of gifts.
One of the moments destined to become the defining image of the visit will follow immediately after: the Pope will appear on the central balcony of Palazzo Pubblico together with the Captains Regent to greet and bless the crowd gathered in Piazza della Libertà. (Vatican)
Then the basilica and the homage to the relics of Saint Marinus
Once the institutional programme is concluded, Leo XIV will walk to the Basilica of Saint Marinus. There he will be welcomed by Bishop Domenico Beneventi and the rector, Don Marco Mazzanti.
Inside, a moment dedicated to the life of the local Church is planned, with the adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and veneration of the relics of Saint Marinus, in the presence of priests, consecrated persons and representatives of the Diocese of San Marino-Montefeltro. (Vatican)
At 12.15pm the Pontiff will leave the basilica for a further greeting to the faithful. Then comes the return to Torraccia: around 12.45pm the farewell to the Captains Regent and authorities is scheduled, followed by take-off from the Republic. (Vatican)
Passes, checks and access points
Access to Piazza della Libertà and Piazzale Domus Plebis is reserved for holders of a named pass, to be presented in paper format together with an identity document. For security reasons, entry points were organised well ahead of the Pope’s arrival. (Esteri)
Rigid water bottles, glass or metal containers, helmets, sharp objects, spray cans and pyrotechnic materials cannot be brought through the checkpoints. Paper or lightweight plastic containers are permitted, however. In the main gathering areas, toilet facilities, Civil Protection stations and water distribution points have been set up. (San Marino Rtv)
Four big screens to follow the visit
Those unable to access the main areas will be able to follow the events on four big screens, installed at Piazzale Domus Plebis, Cava dei Balestrieri, Piazzale Lo Stradone and the Portici di Borgo Maggiore. (San Marino Rtv)
Arrangements at Cava dei Balestrieri are particularly notable, as holders of the pass for Piazza della Libertà will also gather there initially.
Car parks, shuttles and the cable car: what changes
The main recommendation is to limit car use towards the historic centre as much as possible, given the numerous closures and restrictions in place.
At Torraccia, the parking area identified runs from the junction of Strada di Monte Olivo–Strada Montelupo towards the border; in Domagnano, Strada Campagnaccio towards the sports field; in Borgo Maggiore, the Baldasserona and Scuole Elementari car parks, as well as Via Giorgio Ordelaffi. (Esteri)
In San Marino City, car parks in the historic centre are off-limits, with the exception of P9 and P10. Fonte dell’Ovo, P12, is also available, connected by a continuous shuttle service running from 7am to 8pm. No pass is required for this shuttle. P11, on the other hand, is accessible to pass holders until spaces run out. (San Marino Rtv)
The cable car will be reserved until 1pm for faithful holding the appropriate pass. After that, it will return to normal operation, running every 15 minutes until 12.45am. (San Marino Rtv)
A connection between Rimini railway station and San Marino is also planned, arriving at P2.
Shops and health services
Businesses in the historic centre must also reckon with the security arrangements. From 7am to 1pm, commercial activities affected by the measures are required to close to the public, with exemptions for bars among catering establishments and for neighbourhood shops selling food products. During the same hours, take-away sales and outdoor consumption of products in bottles, cans or glass and metal containers are prohibited. (San Marino Rtv)
Services provided by the Social Security Institute will remain operational, although changes to traffic circulation could make it harder to reach the State Hospital. The City Pharmacy will remain closed during the morning and will reopen at 1pm. (San Marino Rtv)
After San Marino, Pennabilli and Rimini
Leo XIV’s day will not end with his departure from the Titano. After bidding farewell to the Republic, the Pontiff will pay a strictly private visit to the community of Augustinian Nuns at the Sant’Antonio da Padova monastery in Pennabilli. (Vatican)
Next will come Rimini. At 2.45pm he is expected to arrive at the Fiera, where the Pope will visit some exhibitions and the Children’s Village before the 4pm meeting with participants at the Meeting for Friendship among Peoples. (Vatican)
At 5.30pm, in Rimini Cathedral, Leo XIV will meet the sick, people with disabilities and the poor assisted by Caritas. Finally, at 6.30pm, comes the major event of Mass in the port area, before his farewell and departure scheduled for 8pm. (Vatican)
The visit live: all the updates
Pope Leo XIV’s day in San Marino will be broadcast live from 8.30am to 1pm by San Marino RTV, the official host broadcaster for the visit on the Titano, with production and distribution of images in collaboration with Vatican Media and Rai. In the afternoon, coverage will resume from 2.30pm in Rimini, following the Pontiff’s engagements through to the celebration at the port. (San Marino Rtv)
Follow the live coverage of Pope Leo XIV’s visit here: from the landing at Torraccia to the passage through the Castelli, from the meetings at Palazzo Pubblico to the basilica, right through to the farewell and departure from the Republic.
